Enlivened by the Future
by CelticPagan-3
Summary: Hermione and Draco have graduated Hogwarts and are ready to step out into the real world, together. Juggling their separate careers, their joint business ventures and their personal lives will be exciting and fun. But with a few bumps in the road along the way, will they maintain the Happily ever After they thought they were getting? Sequel to Tainted by the Past.
1. Chapter 1

**_A/N: It's finally here, peeps! The first chapter of the Sequel to Tainted by the Past. - You may want to read Tainted (if you haven't already) before reading this one, as some things may not make sense, especially as we get further into the fic._**

**_This one is going to be full of fluff (well as much fluff as the most un-romantic person can cope with, without vomiting in her mouth lol) and have a lot of Lemons. But as I did with Tainted, I'll put a warning at the top of the chapter - this chapter is Lemon free ;)_**

**_Hope you enjoy,_**

**_xBx_**

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**~ Chapter 1: House Hunting ~**

"It's too small." Draco said, bluntly.

Hermione rolled her eyes, and then smiled apologetically at the estate agent. This was the third apartment they had seen today, and while Draco hadn't discounted this one as quick as the others, he still dismissed it ridiculously quick – at least they had made it through the front door this time.

"It's an apartment," Hermione said tiredly, "Not a manor house, it's supposed to be small. And we've barely looked at half of it." She reminded him.

"It only has one bedroom." Draco stated, clearly not being put off his decision.

"We really only need one bedroom," Hermione pointed out, "The space is adequate."

"It's not." Draco insisted, and Hermione felt close to screaming at his stubbornness - it really had been a long day, and it was only the middle of the afternoon. "We need space for our work," He pointed out, "There's no room to hold meetings here."

"Okay, for starters, we are not holding meetings in our home." Hermione declared, in her infamous no-nonsense voice. her hands even moving to her hips, making Draco's mouth itch into a small smile.

"If either of us are going to hold any meetings in the city, we will do it at a hotel: we will book out an entire suite, or function room. This is going to be our _home_, not our office." Hermione thought for a moment, and then gave a resigned sigh, "But I suppose you have a point about business: we _do,_ do a lot of work from home." She looked at the estate agent, trying her best to ignore Draco's smug look,

"We're going to need a second bedroom: a guest room that can be used primarily as a study." Hermione stated, "And good entertaining space, we like dinner parties." She added as an afterthough, before turning back to Draco, "You were right, it's too small."

Draco smirked, "I'm always right." Earning himself that famous Hermione-Granger-Eyeroll, which only made him smirk more.

"I may have something that could suit you." Their agent said hesitantly, "It hasn't gone on the market yet – I just picked up the keys from the seller on my way to meet you. I haven't even photographed the place yet. It's a two bedroom flat, here in Knightsbride, just around the corner. Top floor, lots of space, open plan and it's newly renovated, but it is not quite finished." She said, "Would you like to see it?"

"When you say not quite finished?" Hermione asked slowly, the last thing she needed was a home renovation project on top of everything else she was embarking on.

"All the major work is done: New kitchen and bathrooms, carpets in the bedrooms. All the rooms have been painted with a base coat, but there are no finishing coats done – so it's a blank canvas for you." The agent said, trying to sell the property, "And the floor boards in the rest of the house will need finishing off – staining and varnishing."

"Original floorboards?" Hermione asked, and the agent nodded.

"One of a number of original features: there's a fireplace in the living area, as well as one in the master suite. High ceilings, original cornices, and the windows and doors have been expertly restored in sypathy with the building." The agent said, continuing in her selling tone.

Hermione looked at Draco and shrugged, "It's worth a look." She said to him; She had that determined glint in her eye and Draco knew it was futile to resist.

"Lead the way," Draco sighed, "But this is the last one today. I'm over it already, and I'm hungry." He complained.

"Stop pouting like a spoilt child," Hermione scolded as they followed the estate agent. God knows what she thought of their bickering: no doubt she thought Draco and Hermione buying a place together was the stupidest idea, as they had done nothing but bicker since viewing the first apartment today. And it had been the same two days ago when they had been shown four others.

But that was just how they were: their bickering wasn't done in anger, and they always laughed about it after. If anything, their bickering was more playful than serious, but to an outsider who didn't truly understand their dynamic, it could be quite daunting to hear them argue.

"When we're done here, we'll take the tube to Covent Garden, pick up some take-out and call in on Harry." Hermione said, trying to placate him, as they made they way up the street.

"Oh joy, just what I want to endure when I'm tired and hungry, Potter and Weasel." Draco drawled.

Hermione rolled her eyes, "Relax, Ron won't be there, apparently he has a date." She told him.

"Seriously?" Draco asked.

"Yes, seriously." Hermione said, "It will just be Harry and Ginny. Blaise is busy, apparently." She commented, as the agent came to stop, outside a long, white, four storey terraced building that stretched the whole street.

"Here we are," She smiled, walking up the steps to one of the many large front doors of the building. Upon entering the foyer, it was bright and surprisingly airy, with a large staircase winding up to the next floor. "There are two flats on each floor," the agent told the, signalling to the doors on either side of the hallway, before venturing up the stairs.

On the fourth floor, they stopped outside a door with a large '8G' on it, and the agent fished around in her purse for the correct key. When they entered, Hermione smiled: the place was certainly spacious, and they were only in the hallway.

The hallway was long, but wide enough that it would never feel cramped; there were three doors along the right hand wall, but only one on the left hand wall, down at the end. They took the first door on the right to begin with, and found themselves in a good-sized room, with a plush cream carpet. "The second bedroom, with built in wardrobes." The agent said, "Which you can easily turn into a suitable study."

Hermione nodded: The wardrobes ran the entire length of the left hand wall, most of the back wall, opposite the door was taken up with the large windows, but the right hand wall was bare.

"We can build in a desk that runs the entire wall," Hermione gestured, moving into the room, "Have it continuing through the corner up to the door?" She suggested. "Plenty of room for us both – have shelving running up the walls, we'll fit all our files in here no problem. There would still be plenty of room for a couch, or sofa-bed if we ever have anyone over to stay."

"It could work." Draco said, and Hermione smirked. She knew he had no complaints, but he wasn't one to get enthusiastic just yet.

They moved back into the hall to the next room, adjacent to the second bedroom: The main bathroom, recently done to the highest specifications complete with a free standing roll top bath, separate shower, and a good sized vanity unity with a large sink and plenty of storage space. "Very nice." Hermione commended, and she could already picture herself soaking in that bathtub after a long day of work.

The final room off the right side of the hallway was the master suite, and it was fantastic – even Draco couldn't complain about the size. It was carpeted the same as the second bedroom, but it was twice the size. The back wall was taken up mostly by windows again, the bed would go on the right hand wall; a king size bed would fit in easy, with plenty of room on either side for bedside tables. The left side of the room housed a large walk in closet, with an entrance at either end. They walked into the room to explore, and found the door to the en-suite next to the door to the hallway: The en-suite was the same width as the hallway and housed a double shower, separate his and hers sinks, and once again plenty of storage space.

"This is great," Hermione said grinning, looking at Draco, "Even you can't fault this I'm sure."

"There are still a few things left to do to the place before it's ready to live in." Draco reminded her, but Hermione could tell he liked the place.

"Painting, furnishing, and the floors need finishing." Hermione said, "It's nothing more than we'd want to do on any place we find: if anything, this is better. It's already a blank canvas, we won't need to do anything to ready it, just put our stamp on it right away." She grinned.

"So far so good." Draco said to the agent, "Show us the living space."

Their agent smiled, and turned back into the hall and on through the doorway opposite to the bedroom door. Hermione actually gasped aloud at what she walked into, and even Draco let out a whistle.

"I'll admit I'm impressed." Draco said.

The entire right side of the apartment was completely open plan: the doorway they had come through took them into what would probably be the dining area, a space which could fit a dining table big enough to seat ten easy. To their right was the kitchen, all brand new with built in, first-rate appliances.

"White goods included?" Hermione asked; Draco had no idea what the hell that meant, so he just kept quiet.

The agent nodded, walking into the kitchen and going through it, "All in built, you've got your fridge-freezer, dishwasher and washing machine. The oven is electric, but the hob is gas." She explained – half of this went straight over Draco's head, and he could see Hermione giving him an amused glance, knowing full well he didn't have a clue. He scowled at her, and she just stuck out her tongue.

The kitchen sink was set in an island bench top, which doubled as a breakfast bar, which was perfectly in line with a set of double French-doors that lead out onto a balcony, which looked out onto the street that fronted the property. There were then five sets of windows that spanned the length of the of the whole room, before another set of double French-doors led out to another balcony in the sitting area. On the far wall, which backed onto the outside foyer, there was a large ornate, and clearly original, fireplace, around which three couches could easily be placed.

"Is the fireplace usable?" Draco asked; he knew enough about muggle properties to know that full working original fireplaces were becoming rare.

The estate agent smiled, "Of course," she said "You should be able to get an excellent blaze going in there, enough to heat the entire room without a problem."

Draco nodded thoughtfully; the fireplace was certainly big enough for a person to stand in, and he wondered how difficult it would be to get it connected to the Floo network – surely not too difficult, especially if the request came from Hermione: the ministry wouldn't refuse her anything.

Hermione looked at Draco, barely containing her grin, "I love it." She said, and Draco could see in her eyes that it was a complete understatement.

"I can see that," he said, with a smile, before looking up at the agent, "What's the asking price?" He asked.

"It's a little over the budget you gave me," she admitted. Draco smiled: considering the fortune he was able to access, and Hermione's generous payout from the Ministry - not to mention her own fortune - price really wasn't an issue. "But I'm sure he'll be willing to negotiate." She offered.

"Can we take another look around, and discuss it?" Hermione asked with courtesy.

They remained at the flat for another half an hour, the agent remained in the kitchen while Hermione and Draco took another look around the place, this time discussing in more detail how they could furnish it, and spending a good ten minutes arguing over the colour scheme of the master suite.

"We are not having emerald green," Hermione said flatly.

"Why not?" Draco countered, "Your bedroom at your parent's house is green." He pointed out.

"Precisely," Hermione said, "I'm moving out of there for change, not to go somewhere that looks the same."

"Well we sure as hell aren't having it red. There is no way I am sleeping in a room decorated like Gryffindor Tower." Draco retorted.

Hermione smirked, "You didn't complain at school when you slept in my room." She reminded him.

"That was different: you didn't personally choose the colour scheme, and by the time it came to sleep I was often too exhausted to really care about the colour scheme." He smirked, coming up to her and snaking his hands around her waist, causing her to feel that familiar flutter in her stomach that always accompanied his touch – she wondered briefly if that feeling would ever disappear, before hoping adamantly that it never would.

Hermione grinned, "Anyway, I wasn't going to suggest Gryffindor colours, I was going to suggest something more neutral." She assured him, before kissing him.

When they broke apart, Hermione asked, "Do you like it?"

Draco grinned, "Being kissed by you? I love it." He said, before kissing her again.

Hermione laughed against his lips, and hit him playfully in the chest, "No," she said, when they broke apart again, "The apartment. Do you like it?"

Draco thought for a moment, "It does seem perfect for us, for now. It has the space we need, but it's not too big. We can really make it our own. I don't know if I'd pay the full asking price, though." He said.

"But we should at least make an offer," Hermione said, hopefully.

Draco nodded, "Yeah, we should." He agreed. "Alright, let's go talk numbers," he said, taking her hand and moving back into the kitchen.

They left the estate agent with a reasonable offer, not too much lower than the asking price, and Hermione's contact details so that she could get in touch after speaking to the current owner. They made their way to the tube station, both feeling rather hopeful, and wearing identical self-satisfied, almost smug, smiles. When they reached the station, however, Draco's smile slipped.

"Where are you taking me?" He asked warily, Hermione rolled her eyes and pulled out two cards, handing one of them to Draco.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" He asked, growing more concerned by the minute.

"Watch and learn." Hermione smiled, moving to the turnstile, placing her card on the reader, and moving through it. She turned and waited for Draco to follow, laughing at how warily he was moving.

"What fresh hell is this?" Draco muttered, as they made their way further down and onto a platform. He had become used to taking Muggle taxi's over the past couple of weeks, but this was something entirely new to him.

"It's the London Underground, get a grip." Hermione hissed.

"It's dingy and dirty, and god knows what diseases are festering down here." Draco hissed back.

"It's not that bad." Hermione chastised as the train they were waiting for arrived.

"You've got to be kidding me?" Draco said, taking in the crowded carriage.

"Move." Hermione stated, pushing him forward and loosing her patience. They found a spot to stand in, near the centre of the carriage, not too close to the doors.

As the train pulled back into motion, Draco lurched into Hermione, as a random Muggle lurched into him. "I don't see why we couldn't just apparate." Draco hissed out of the corner of his mouth, moving an arm around Hermione's waist, instinctively holding her close. Hermione quickly cast a wandless Muffliato – she had been continuing to practice wandless magic every day, ever since Christmas and she was slowly getting a good grasp on small spells.

"Because we are in the middle of Muggle London." She hissed back, "There is nowhere safe for us to apparate and disappearate. And besides, if we're going to live in Muggle London, we may as well try to acclimate as best we can. Starting with riding the Underground." She told him

"If I catch something, I'm holding you personally responsible." He muttered, before exclaiming, "bloody hell!" as the train lurched to a stop at the next station. "Can they not smooth the transition from start to stop any better?" he complained.

Hermione laughed, "Suck it up, princess." She told him.

Draco looked at her with wide eyes, "Did you just call me a princess?" he asked, a smirk tugging at his lips.

Hermione smirked, "Well you are acting like one," she teased. "Look, you may as well get used to it, how else do you think you'll be getting into to the Ministry?" she pointed out.

Draco gave her an almost scathing look, "Did you not see the fireplace in that flat?" He asked, "We can easily get it hooked up to the Floo network."

Hermione considered this for a moment, "Alright," she considered, "I'll give you that one. But what if we don't get the place?" she asked, worrying her lip.

Draco smiled, "We'll get it." He assured her, "You know how I hate to be refused." He smirked, before growling as the train lurched to a stop once more.

Hermione chuckled, "Come on, let's go," she said, leading him from the train and off the platform, back up out into fresh air.

"Thank Merlin for that," Draco muttered as they navigated the busy London streets hand in hand.

Draco's relief was short lived, however, as once Hermione had purchased enough take out to feed four she led him back to the tube station he had recently escaped.

"Are you kidding me?" He asked.

"You just want to disappear in the middle of crowded street?" Hermione asked, slightly incredulous, "Bring the Ministry down on you, when you're going to start working there in a month's time? Do that, and you can kiss goodbye to your job, you know that right?" She told him, fishing in her pocket for her card.

"I hate you right now, Granger, I hope you know that." Draco grumbled as he fished out his own card, but there was no malice in his eyes, and Hermione knew he didn't really mean it.

Hermione smirked at him as he followed her back through the turnstile; "That's a shame, you were going to get lucky tonight, but I don't sleep with people who hate me." She told him, before walking off toward the right platform.

Draco growled, "You are a cruel woman, do you know that?" He said, keeping perfect pace with her. "You'll be the death of me, I'm sure." He muttered. Hermione merely grinned as they boarded a train.

Hermione and Draco had graduated Hogwarts only two weeks ago, and since leaving the school they had had very little opportunity to spend as much time together as they were used to doing. They had gone from living in the same tower, and sleeping in the same bed, to living back in their parents' homes at almost opposite ends of the country; Hermione up in York, Draco down in Wiltshire. While business helped bring them together, with the running of _Monde Caché_ – their upscale Muggle cocktail bar in York, their separate business ventures successfully kept them apart many days of the week.

Hermione had thrown herself into the deep end with the expansion of her family business; two days after leaving Hogwarts, she was in Nottingham with Beth (who had taken on the role of Project Manager), looking at the space that had been bought, finalising the building plans, and submitting them for approval. Once the approval came through, Beth would call her back into Nottingham to get the next stage of development underway.

Draco, meanwhile, had been cooped up at the Manor, going over vast amounts of legal documents pertaining to the family's money, businesses and multiple investments. Lucius was still considered the head of the family, despite being locked up in Azkaban, and as such Draco was unable to make a lot of decisions without his signature, as well his Mothers. Up to now, this had not been much of a problem: his recent business acquisitions had been purchased with his own fortune, that had been acquired through his allowance from his parents over many years as well as a few healthy sums of money he had inherited directly from a couple of relatives. This fortune had been solely under his name, in his own Gringotts vault, and as such completely separate from the Malfoy fortune and estate.

However, now that Draco was out of Hogwarts, it was time for him to step up and start managing the family assets, but he was finding himself limited in what he could actually do, and access, without his father's signature. And that would require Draco to visit his father in Azkaban – sooner, rather than later, while his father was still somewhat of sound mind – a thought which Draco certainly did not relish. Lucius would be in Azkaban for a fair few years – a minimum of ten, which was an incredibly lenient sentence considering how involved in the Dark Lord's regime he had been, but because of his plea of guilty, along with following through on his word to assist the Aurors in the capture of the Death Eaters still at large, he had been given a respectable reprieve.

Yet regardless of this, Draco wondered if Lucius would even survive ten years in the place: Lucius had been a different man after his first stint in Azkaban, it had only been a year, but Draco saw that his father was never the same after. And he was starting to get on in years; Lucius was ten years older than Narcissa, and they had had Draco well into their marriage, so he was already nearing middle-age when his son was born. It was a very real possibility, in Draco's eyes, that his father would die in prison.

"A penny for you thoughts?" Hermione's voice broke into his reverie, and he looked down at her with a smile; he could see the frown forming on her face, obviously some of his thoughts had shown on his face and he knew she was starting to worry.

"It's nothing," he sighed quietly. Hermione gave him that look that clearly showed she didn't believe him, "Talk about it later." He offered, "Are we nearly there yet, I'm starving." He added, "And I really need to scourgify myself."

Hermione rolled her eyes, "Next stop," She told him, "And it's really not that bad." She insisted again.

As promised, they got off at the next stop, and walked the fifteen minute trek from the station to Grimmauld Place, all the while Draco mumbled about apparating being so much quicker.

"It's summer, and broad daylight," Hermione snapped as they rounder the corner of the street, "two people disappearing would not go unnoticed. I know you're hungry, but for Gods sake, please give the moaning a rest." She practically begged.

"Harry!" Hermione called out, as they entered number twelve.

"In the kitchen!" Ginny's voice called back from the kitchen.

"Changed your name, have you?" Hermione asked as she entered the cavernous cellar, lit by candles and a large fire blazing in the hearth.

Ginny grinned, "Harry couldn't answer. He'd just taken a drink, tried to call out and choked. I thought I'd help him out."

Hermione laughed; Harry did look a little red in face. "I brought take-out." Hermione said.

"_I_?" Draco drawled, dumping the bag on the table.

"Well, I bought it." Hermione reminded,

"I carried it," he pointed out.

Hermione rolled her eyes, "Fine, _we_ brought take-out." Hermione amended, "Don't worry about him, he's tired, hungry and cranky." She explained, pulling out boxes of chinese food and chopsticks, and handing them around, as Harry summoned bottles of butterbeer for everyone.

"So how did the flat hunting go?" Harry asked, as Hermione and Draco took a seat at the large scrubbed wooden table and they all tucked into their dinner, "Thanks for this, by the way."

"Your welcome," Hermione smiled, "and good. We found a place we loved, and we made an offer," Hermione said.

"So quick?" Ginny asked, "Didn't you want to think it over, I mean it's a big step."

"It's a great place, and it hasn't gone up on the market yet, if we get in early, before it goes up, we'll have a better shot at getting it." Hermione explained.

"Though I am having second thoughts," Draco said, "It's right in the heart of Muggle London, apparently that means I have to start using Muggle Transport." He gave a shiver, and Ginny snorted.

"Don't mind him," Hermione smirked, "He had his first experience of the London Underground this evening." She explained.

Harry laughed at that, "Oh man, I wish I'd have seen that!" He said.

"Shut it, Potter." Draco growled, making the other three laugh even more.

"Oh quit whining, and just eat." Hermione said, "But anyway, it's a fantastic place, top floor, and high ceilings so it just feels so roomy -" Hermione went off, gushing about everything from the unfinished floorboards to the original cornice work.

"So, do you reckon you'll get it?" Ginny asked, a half hour later, after Hermione had finally stopped gushing.

Draco shrugged, "We've got a good chance: we made a reasonable offer considering the work left to do, not to mention we told them we could pay cash up front. They'd be an idiot to refuse, frankly." He told them.

"Speaking of," Hermione said, looking at Draco, "say we do get the place, how do you want to do the money? Split fifty-fifty, transfer to a single account, and pay from that one?" Hermione suggested.

Draco gave a non-committal shrug, "Do we have to discuss it over dinner?" He said quietly, sounding slightly uncomfortable.

"It's only Ginny and Harry," Hermione dismissed his concern, "It might be bad taste to discuss over dinner but we need to think about it. Since we're dealing with Muggles, it would be better to come from me, I think, as I have the Muggle bank account."

"So have I." Draco smirked, and Hermione was momentarily lost for words.

"Since when? How?" She asked.

"I've been dealing in Muggle Business for a year, Hermione," he reminded her, "I needed it. I set it up last summer, through Gringotts: they have an affiliation with a worldwide, Muggle Bank. The Muggle account is directly linked to my Gringotts vault, and money is drawn straight from it." Draco explained. "I'll sort it." He said simply.

Hermione ignored the dismissal, "It's _our_ place, Draco." She reminded him, "I should pay for half, and it's not like I can't afford it."

"Both our names will be on the deed, but there's no point wasting time and effort transferring gold around, when my vault can cover it." He said, "Look, we'll compromise:" he added, when Hermione looked set to interrupt, "I'll pay for the empty shell, you cover the cost of furnishing. Sound good?"

Hermione thought for a moment, and then nodded slowly, "Fine." She said, "But I am only giving in, because I know you're not going to budge on this."

Draco smirked, "Finally, you're learning to know when I will win." He joked.

"Did that seriously just happen?" Ginny said directly to Harry, bringing Draco and Hermione's attention back to the table. "Did they seriously just argue about money? The two richest people we know, arguing about money." Ginny stressed to Harry with a grin, making Harry chuckle.

"Leave 'em be, Gin," Harry teased, "They have to argue about something, keep the passion alive."

Ginny snorted, and Hermione decided to change the subject, "How's training going?" she asked the redhead, "Ready for your tryouts?"

Ginny had been scouted during the final term at Hogwarts, to try out for the Holyhead Harpies, her trial set for three days time.

Ginny nodded, "Ready as I'm ever going to be," she said, sounding slightly nervous.

"Don't worry about it, Weaselette," Draco said, "You're a good player, they'll be idiots not to take you on." He told her, sincerely.

Ginny grinned, "Why, thank you ferret." She said, "That might be the nicest thing you've said to me."

"Don't get used to it," Draco smirked. "Where's Blaise, tonight?" He asked then, "You two are usually joined at the hip."

"Training," Ginny said, summoning another round of drinks from the pantry, "He's got his tryouts for the Dorset Dragons next week. Haven't seen much of him since Hogwarts, to be honest." She added, sounding frustrated.

Hermione shrugged, "In fairness, neither have Draco and I." She said, "The most time we've spent together is when we've been looking for a place to live. It's been a hectic couple of weeks, once we all get settled into a routine I'm sure you'll see more of each other, again."

Draco nodded, "I think I've seen Blaise once, since we graduated – excepting the party," He added: Harry had graciously hosted a graduation party for his close friends whom had finished that year, and it had turned into quite a rowdy affair. "I hear he's looking for a flat in Wizard London?" He asked Ginny, who nodded.

"Are you moving in with him?" Hermione asked.

"Merlin, no." Ginny said, "We are so not there yet; not like you two who seem to be a middle-aged couple already," she joked, then continued seriously. "No, I'm moving into George's old flat though, above the shop, in Diagon Alley." She told them. "It will be nice to have my own space for a while."

"Where's George going?" Hermione asked – she really had been out of touch recently.

"He bought a bigger place, away from the store, so it's a little quieter." Ginny explained.

Their easy conversation was interrupted when Hermione's phone rang, "Sorry," Hermione apologised, "I have to take this, and no doubt it's important." She excused herself and left the kitchen to take the call in the hallway. She only used her phone for Muggle business, which meant no call could be ignored – something which had irritated Draco on a number of occasions.

"What the hell was that?" Ginny asked. "It was so shrill."

Draco rolled his eyes, "It's an awful noise, isn't it?" He said, glad that someone finally agreed with him "But she never ignores it. Something to do with it being used 'only for business so it's always important'" He repeated Hermione's words, "Stupid bloody blackcurrant." He mumbled.

Harry choked on his butterbeer as he laughed at Draco's slip-up. Both Ginny and Draco frowned at him, before Ginny looked back at Draco.

"Blackcurrant?" she asked.

Draco shrugged, "That's what she calls it – I don't know, it's Muggle." He said, as Harry regained his breath.

"I think you mean, 'Blackberry', mate." He said, with a laugh. "It's the name of the phone." He explained.

"Whatever, Potter." Draco said, as Hermione entered.

She frowned as she took in Harry's red face, "You choking on your drink again?" She asked, "What got you this time?"

"We were talking about your phone," Ginny said, "And Blackberries?" She said, still not fully sure about the conversation.

Hermione grinned as she made her way back to her seat, "Did Draco call it a blackcurrant again?" She asked with a chuckle, causing Harry to laugh once more.

"Who called you?" Draco asked, ignoring the laughter and changing the subject.

Hermione grinned, "The estate agent." She said, "Do you want the bad news or the good news?" She teased.

"I don't know." Draco said warily.

Hermione grinned again, "Well, the bad news is: you're about to spend a lot of money. The good news: Our offer was accepted." She let out a little squeal of excitement as she said it.

"Seriously?" Draco asked; his face remained calm, but Hermione saw the excited gleam in his eye. Hermione nodded and Draco stood from his chair, pulling Hermione up with him so he could give her a proper hug, wrapping his arms around her tightly before crushing his lips to hers.

"Alright," Harry said after a moment, "We know you're happy, but come on: not in my kitchen." He joked.

Hermione laughed, and pulled herself away, as Ginny spoke, "This calls for a celebration," she said, calling out for Kreacher to find something a little more fancier than Butterbeer.

* * *

**_A/N: So there's the first chapter, let me know what you thought. I know a few of you have been waiting for a while for this one, I hope it was worth the wait._**

**_Thanks for reading :) - oh, and to keep up with this fic's progress you can follow me on twitter CelticPagan3 :)_**

**_xBx_**


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: Sorry for taking a while, but the next chapter is here, hope you like it. Thanks for all my reviews to the first chapter, and thanks for adding me to alerts and favourites! Can't believe how popular this fic is already! You guys are amazing, as always.**_

_**This one gets a little bit fluffy, and not much is really happening yet - we're just creating the foundations for the drama that's going to unfold. :)**_

_**xBx**_

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**~ Chapter 2: Settling Down ~**

It took another week before the flat in Knightsbridge was officially theirs, but eventually every piece of paperwork was signed, a hefty amount of money was moved from one account to another, and Hermione and Draco were finally handed the keys to their first home.

Hermione was ridiculously excited when they collected the keys, and Draco couldn't help but roll his eyes at the exuberance she displayed – he had never seen her act so girlish, and she certainly was making too many undignified squeals for his liking.

"Seriously, Hermione. It's just a set of keys, tone it down." Draco mocked as they walked towards their new place.

"How are you not even the slightest bit excited?" Hermione asked, as they walked up the steps to the main front door. "We finally get to go inside our new home."

"Firstly," Draco said, as Hermione opened the door with one of the Keys, "Just because I'm not squealing like a teenager doesn't mean I'm not excited." He smirked. "And secondly: I hate to break it to you, but we're actually magical. Which means we can do this little thing called 'apparition' that allows us to disappear and then reappear anywhere we want." He said, sarcasm colouring every word, as they began to climb to their floor.

Hermione didn't say a word but glared at him with a look that could burn, clearly displaying her lack of amusement at his humour.

"Not appreciating the sarcasm?" Draco joked, feigning nonchalance, but fully aware he was walking on thin ice.

"Not one little bit." Hermione said simply, her expression not changing.

Draco gave a curt nod and swallowed, "Duly noted." He said, as they came to their door, "I'm sorry."

"You will be." Hermione said, putting the key into the lock and turning. She sent a smirk over her shoulder as she pushed open the door, letting Draco know he wasn't it too much trouble.

"You're mean," Draco smirked back, and Hermione just gave a shrug of her shoulders and a quirk of her eyebrows, as if to say 'you're point is?'

Before she could step into the flat Draco came up behind her; knocking her legs from underneath her, he swung her up into his arms and carried her through the doorway.

"Welcome home," he said with a grin.

"What are you doing?!" Hermione shrieked, in shock at the sudden movement.

Draco rolled his eyes, "I'm trying to be romantic." He said.

"Aww-" Hermione started.

"Don't make that noise," Draco scowled, "Apparently it's a tradition that the man carries the woman over the threshold of their first home together. I don't know." He mumbled, and Hermione was surprised to see a faint blush creeping up his neck.

"Well what do you know," Hermione said, "Draco Malfoy happens to be an old fashioned romantic." She teased him with a grin.

"Aaand, the moment's over." Draco said, unceremoniously letting Hermione drop to the floor in heap, before stepping over her.

"I can't believe you just did that!" Hermione sputtered, "You could at least have dumped me in a room with carpet." She said, pulling out her wand and sending a stinging jinx into Draco's back.

"Ow!" Draco whirled around rubbing his shoulder, "Drawing wands now, are we?" He smirked, drawing his own.

"Serves you right for dropping me on the hardwood." Hermione retorted, returning the smirk.

Draco waved his wand and the door closed, "You could at least have made sure the door was closed," He said, offering Hermione a hand to get up, "Don't want to be doing Magic in front of Muggles, do we?"

Hermione chuckled as she was pulled to her feet, and looked a little abashed, "Right." She said, nodding, "The last thing we need is for the famous Hermione Granger to be breaking the Statute of Secrecy." She joked.

Draco laughed and pulled her close, "I'm sure that will never happen." He assured her, giving her a quick kiss on her forehead, "I'm sorry a dumped you on the floor." He added.

Hermione laughed, "Fine, I'm sorry I hexed you." She said, before walking into the living space and giving yet another girlish giggle.

Draco rolled his eyes again, and followed, "So, what do we do first?" He asked.

"Wards." Hermione said simply. "We need to make sure no one can apparate in and out, except us, obviously. We also need to sort out gas, electric. Internet and phone lines." She added and Draco looked at her a little confused.

"You lost me after apparition." Draco admitted and Hermione laughed, "I'm still knew when it comes to the Muggle world." He reminded her.

"I'll go through it with you as it gets sorted." She assured him, "You start with the wards and I'll make some calls." She said, moving to the kitchen and placing her bag down on the island top, pulling out her phone and the papers they were given by the Estate Agent.

When the initial jobs were sorted, Hermione and Draco left the building and surveyed the immediate area looking for a suitable place for apparition: while they could apparate in and out, no one else would be able to and if people were to come and visit they needed to find a suitable place for them to appear before coming to the building. They found a useful alleyway just two streets over, and from there they apparated hand in hand to Malfoy Manor, where they were expected for dinner.

As soon as they appeared in the large entryway, an elf popped in front of them to take their coats,

"Master Draco is running late." The elf announced, "Mistress Cissa was beginning to worry."

"Sorry, Mitzi." Draco grimaced, "Where is everyone?" he asked.

"In the family drawing room." Mitzi said, before disappearing.

Draco took Hermione's hand and began to lead her to their destination. Hermione had been to the Manor a few times since the end of school; now that her and Draco's relationship was very public knowledge, Narcissa had wanted to get to know her better. Despite the disastrous first dinner Hermione had attended here during the Easter break, Hermione was more than willing to accept Narcissa's offer and had thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the Malfoy matriarch.

Despite having been to the Manor on a number of occasions, she was yet to see many of the rooms - the only room she had been shown so far was the Library, and it had been Narcissa who had taken her. "Are you ever going to give me a tour of your house?" Hermione asked as they wound their way through the corridors.

"This isn't my house yet." He grinned.

Hermione rolled her eyes, "You know what I mean." She pressed.

"If you want one, I will be happy to oblige." Draco smiled, "But you haven't really given me a tour of you house either." He pointed out.

"It isn't my house yet." Hermione smirked, and Draco laughed, "And besides, I think you've seen most of it anyway." She said, as they came to the drawing room.

"True. But I would love to see the billiard room." He told her with a suggestive smirk as he opened the door for her.

Hermione returned the smirk, "I would love to play billiards with you." She said teasingly, walking into the room.

"That's not what I was thinking," he said quietly in her ear as he followed her.

"I know." She said simply, but was stopped from saying anything further as Narcissa came over to them.

"Nice of you to finally join us." Narcissa smiled, but there was warmth to it that told them they weren't in any trouble.

"I'm sorry, Narcissa." Hermione smiled, "We were at the new flat in London. We got the keys today, so we went to set up the necessary wards."

"Well, come sit, tell us all about it." Narcissa said, "Draco can get you a drink." She added pulling Hermione along with her to the couch where Andromeda was sitting.

Draco rolled his eyes, "It's lovely to see you too mother." He said under his breath, walking to the sideboard.

"I see you all the time Draco, I haven't seen Hermione for at least a week. We have a lot to catch up on." Narcissa smirked at her son, catching every word he said.

After pouring a couple of goblets of wine Draco turned and leaned against the sideboard, watching his girlfriend talking to his mother and aunt with ease, a small smile tugging at his mouth. Hermione and his mother had first met at New Years, and since then they had corresponded regularly while Hermione was at Hogwarts – something that Draco found slightly disturbing at first. The friendship between them hadn't been easy; there was a lot of unpleasant history between the two, but with the help of Andromeda the two overcame their pasts and managed to move forward.

Draco was interrupted from his musings as the door opened behind him, and a toddler waddled through holding onto Harry Potter's hand.

"Dray!" Teddy shouted when he spotted Draco, and he began to toddle in his direction.

"Hey kiddo." Draco said, bending down to pick up the toddler, who immediately changed his hair to platinum blonde. "Potter, didn't know you were joining us." Draco added.

Harry shrugged, "Had nothing else to do, and I've spent the day with Teddy. Andie asked if I wanted to stay." He said, helping himself to a goblet.

"Got your keys today, didn't you?" Harry asked after a moment, "That why you were late."

Draco nodded, "We've been setting up wards around the place. And Hermione was…" Draco thought, "I don't really know what she was doing, to be honest. Something Muggles do when they move into a new place. She mentioned the word gas." He said with a frown, and Harry chuckled.

"You'll get to grips with it eventually." Harry said, "Must be weird, after living in the Magical world all your life, to venture out into the Muggle world."

"A little bit." Draco admitted, "But it's been a steady transition. Believe it or not, I haven't been completely cut off from the Muggle world my entire life, you know." Draco smirked.

"Are you boys ever going to join us?" Hermione called over, just then. "Hey Harry." She added.

"Hey." Harry grinned, moving to the other couch as Draco followed,

"Hermy!" Teddy called out with an excited gurgle, holding out his arms for Hermione to take him from Draco.

"I hate you Harry Potter." Hermione scolded, taking Teddy and glaring at Harry who chuckled shamelessly. "Why did you teach him that?" she asked.

"Well, you see," Harry laughed, "Hermione is a pretty difficult word to say." He joked.

"You could have gone with anything else," She said, "Min, for example. Or Minny, even, but you had to go with Hermy. It's bad enough that Grawp still calls me that." Hermione shook her head and moved her attention to her Godson.

Dinner was served fifteen minutes later, and the group chatted amiably throughout the meal, discussing what little of Harry's job he could divulge, before moving on to NEWT results which should be making their way to Draco and Hermione any time now, and discussing their imminent start at the Ministry.

"I start on August fifth, so I have about two weeks to get the flat all ready to go – I'd ideally want to move in, a few days before I start at the Ministry." Hermione said over dessert. "So it will be all hands on deck when it comes to decorating." She grinned.

"Count me in." Andromeda said, "You know I can't resist. I can't wait to see the place."

"Count me out," Narcissa sighed, "I still have another year of house arrest." She reminded them.

"Maybe less." Harry said slowly, "Once you reach twelve months you'll be eligible for a hearing to request an alteration to your bounds. Taking into account that you've followed all the rules, and you no longer pose a threat, it's likely you'd be allowed to leave the Manor grounds once again, but with a curfew imposed." He explained, "So you will be free to travel, with Andromeda's supervision, during daylight hours."

"Really?" Narcissa asked, "That would be wonderful." She smiled, "It's surprising, I never really went anywhere before. But I do miss the freedom." She admitted.

When dessert was cleared, Narcissa led Andromeda and Hermione back into the drawing room for tea, but Draco remained seated.

"I'll be through in a bit." He said with a smile. Harry hesitated a moment, before sitting back down.

When the women had left, Harry spoke up, "Everything alright?" he asked, refilling both his and Draco's goblets.

Draco looked thoughtful for a moment, swirling the contents of his goblet, "I've arranged a meeting with my father," he said eventually.

"Ah." Harry said, leaning back in his chair, "Any particular reason why?"

"A lot of decisions, regarding the family estate and it's associated business, need my father's signature. It's starting to prove a problem. I've had the papers drawn up for him to sign everything over to me." Draco said. "I need to get his signature before he loses his mind completely."

"When do you go?" Harry asked.

"Thursday." Draco admitted, "I only got the appointment confirmed today. Hermione doesn't know." He added quietly.

"Are you going to tell her?" Harry asked.

Draco shrugged, "I don't know. She's all happy and excited about the flat, I don't want to ruin that."

Harry chuckled, "But if you don't tell her, she'll hex your balls off when she finds out." He pointed out.

Draco laughed, "That she will." He agreed, draining his goblet. "Still, I don't need to tell her tonight."

"Maybe not. But just make sure you tell her before you go." Harry said, "She'll stress about it, and worry about you, it's true. But at least you'll get to keep your balls." He joked, standing up and patting Draco on the back, "Come on, we stay any longer and you know she'll figure something's wrong. And once Hermione gets an idea in her head, she won't stop until she gets confirmation."

Draco nodded and stood to follow. When they entered the drawing room, Hermione was in full flow about the ideas she already had about the place. Andromeda offered her services to help with the design process and Hermione invited her over to check out the place tomorrow afternoon.

"I did want to spend all day there, but I have to be in Nottingham tomorrow morning," Hermione explained, "Planning approval has been granted, which means we can go ahead with the renovations on the clinic. I'm meeting with Beth to start bringing in contractors and draw up a thorough schedule of work." She said.

"So you're supervising the clinic in Nottingham," Harry said, "You two are overseeing the running of the bar in York, you'll be starting work at the Ministry in a little over two weeks time, and you're taking on a home renovation project?" he listed, "Aren't you worried about taking on too much?"

Hermione shrugged, "I have full confidence in Beth to run the clinic development, Matt is fantastic at keeping the bar ticking over: we have good staff that we can count on, so stress on that score is low." Hermione countered, "And hey, I managed third year didn't I? I can handle it." She grinned.

"What happened third year?" Narcissa asked.

"Little-Miss-Know-It-All decided to take every single class Hogwarts had to offer." Draco joked.

"She ended up doing the day three times over, thanks to a time turner." Harry finished.

Narcissa looked at Hermione, "Really?" she asked, and Hermione nodded, "how did you manage the stress of all that?!"

"It was quite stressful, and I did get worn pretty thin," Hermione admitted, "But I found an excellent personal punch bag to use, in the form of the most irritating kid at school." She smirked, and Harry snorted.

"Nice, Granger." Draco said with a smirk.

"What am I missing?" Andromeda asked, looking between the three of them.

"She's referring to me." Draco explained, dryly, causing Andromeda and Narcissa to give identical bursts of shocked laughter.

"You were being a jerk, you deserved it." Hermione pointed out, laughing with the rest. "And I only hit you once."

"Once was enough." Draco said.

"Did you really hit my son?" Narcissa asked, looking as if she couldn't decide whether the situation was offensive or amusing.

"You should have seen it" Harry reminisced, "It was bloody fantastic."

"In Hermione's defence," Draco spoke up, "She's right, I did deserve it. I was being a little shit." He admitted.

At the end of the evening, Hermione returned to Grimmauld Place with Harry, before apparating to her parents' house to spend the night. The following morning Hermione met with Beth and spent hours going over Beth's plans and what needed to be done, as well as arranging a day for the two of them to go to a wholesalers to order and purchase everything they would need, from flooring to paints, worktops to couches.

When Hermione pulled out a diary from her bag to jot down the date Beth laughed, "Seriously?" She asked.

Hermione frowned, "What?" Hermione asked.

"Do you not have a tablet?" Beth asked, "Or maybe you need a better phone. No one uses pen and paper anymore." She laughed.

"Okay," Hermione said, with a smile "In my defence, I spend most of they year writing with quill, ink and parchment. When it comes to Muggle technology, I can just about handle email." She laughed.

Beth laughed with her, "We need to get you up to speed. What are you doing this weekend? Dudley said something about going down to London to have dinner with Harry and Ron, why don't we meet in the city and do some shopping?" Beth suggested.

Hermione grinned, "That sounds good." She nodded, "Can I invite Ginny?"

"Yeah, of course!" Beth agreed, "And I want to see your new place."

Hermione's grin widened, "We can go shopping for furnishings as well, if you want?" she suggested.

"That's my favourite kind of shopping." Beth grinned.

Hermione left Beth after having lunch, and returned to London to meet Ginny and Andie at the apparition point she and Draco had found the night before. Ginny was currently a nervous wreck; her tryout for the Hollyhead Harpies had been just over a week ago, but she was yet to hear from them as to whether or not she had made the team and Hermione was hoping to successfully distract her from it for as long as possible.

There was little to do that afternoon except take Andie and Ginny through the rooms and detailing her initial thoughts for each. Andromeda took detailed sketches of each room, and each section of the open living space, for them to play around with, with colour schemes.

"You should come over to the Manor tomorrow morning," Andie said, "I can dig out all the colour swatches I used for when I re-did the manor, and we can use them for these." She suggested.

Hermione smiled, "That would be good. It will be nice to have Narcissa's input as well."

Andie nodded, "And I think she will like being involved. Malfoy Manor is no Azkaban, but the house arrest is taking it's toll." She sighed, and Hermione nodded in understanding.

"You going to join us, Gin?" Hermione asked.

"Would your sister mind?" Ginny asked Andromeda directly.

"Mind?" Andie laughed, "My sister would love the company, I'm sure."

That night was one of the rare nights that Draco apparated into Hermione's bedroom late into the night. Hermione was still awake, sat up in bed reading.

"Hey stranger," She joked, looking up from her book as Draco flopped down onto the bed next to her.

"Hey yourself," he smiled up at her, but it was a tired smile as if there was something bothering him. "How was your day?" he asked.

Hermione looked at him carefully, before marking her place in her book and putting it on the bedside table. She shuffled down so that she was laying on her side with her head propped up on her hand.

"Is everything alright?" she asked him with concern, "You look…preoccupied." She said carefully.

Draco sighed, rolling onto his side to mirror her stance, "I'm going to see my father tomorrow." He admitted.

Hermione's eyebrows shot up, "Why?" she asked, "And when did you arrange this?"

"I got the appointment yesterday," Draco told her, "Don't be mad,"

Hermione smiled, "I'm not mad." She said, "Why now?"

Draco took a breath, "I need to take control of the family estate. To do that I need my Father to sign it over to me in it's entirety." He explained. "It's better he does it now, while he we still be in a sound state of mind."

"But, isn't he only going to be in there for ten years?" Hermione asked hesitently.

"At a minimum," Draco said, "but, if I'm honest," he started, before taking a deep breath, "I don't think he's going to survive his sentence." He admitted.

Hermione ran her hand up and down Draco's arm in a comforting gesture, "Do you want me to come with you?" she asked after a moment.

Draco smiled, "Merlin, no." he said, pulling Hermione to him, "You don't need to endure that. No doubt he'll be his obnoxious self. Plus I don't think he even knows about us – and you will not want to witness his initial reaction, I'm sure." He grimaced.

Hermione chuckled against his chest, "Right. He's not going to be supportive." She said, trying to make a joke of it, but there was something like apprehension colouring her tones, that told Draco she was worried about his father's reaction.

"It doesn't matter," Draco muttered into her hair, "It wont change how much I love you. He'll come around in the end."

##

The following morning, Draco left Hermione's room before dawn, returning to the Manor to change before reporting to the Ministry, from where he would take a portkey to Azkaban. He was silent for the entire trip through the Ministry, despite the forced conversation his escort tried to impart, and he was just as silent as he was lead through Azkaban to his father's cell. He kept his fists clenched inside the pockets of his long coat, his mouth pressed closely shut, the tension rolling off him in waves as he tried to ignore the pull into despair that the Dementors induced.

His escort let him onto his father's cell, saying he would wait outside for him to finish. Draco nodded mutely, and entered the cell. When the iron door was closed behind him, Draco finally spoke.

"Father." He said simply, to the man huddled in the corner.

Lucius looked up, a mere shadow of the man he used to be: his robes were beginning to look worn, and his hair was lank and greasy, falling limply past his shoulders. While the tips of his hair were still the signature platinum blonde of the Malfoys, white was beginning to flow down from the roots. His face was haggard and gaunt, dark circles surrounded his eye sockets, making him look an inch from death, and his eyes had a blank dead look to them.

"Draco?" Lucius croaked, a flicker of confusion crossing his eyes, before the haunted look returned.

Draco nodded, and took a seat on the hard bed – the only piece of furniture in the room.

"I'm here on business." Draco said simply, getting right to the point. "Now that you're in here, the family estate needs taking care of. I need to be able to take care of it, without having to get your signature for a myriad of things." He began to explain.

A ghost of a smile flitted across Lucius' face, "You want me to sign everything over to you." He rasped, "You want to take over as the Head of the Malfoy family and estate."

"Yes." Draco said, "There's no point waiting: you will be in here for quite some time. And if you ever get out, you will be in no fit state to run anything. It's better we get this over with now, before the estate and businesses begin to suffer."

"If." Lucius repeated, giving his son strange look, "_If_ I get out. You don't believe I will survive my term." He stated.

Draco looked away from his father, but couldn't answer. Lucius gave a short breath of un-amused laughter, "I fear you may be right." Lucius admitted, "I assume you have the paperwork and a quill? You will undoubtedly want me to sign before I lose my mind completely." He drawled, starting to sound more like his former self.

Draco nodded and pulled everything from an inside pocket of his coat. Lucius dragged himself from his corner, and using the bed as a table he shakily scratched his signature in all the places Draco pointed him to. When the business was taken care of, Draco rose to leave, but Lucius called him back.

"How is your mother?" He asked.

Draco nodded, "She's good. House arrest is taking its toll, but at least she's safe. And her sister, Andromeda, is keeping her company. And Andromeda's grandson, Teddy, is quite a good distraction." He said. "They've redecorated the manor, brightened the place up. It looks good." Draco added.

"And you?" Lucius asked, "Do you not keep your mother company?"

"I do, but I'm busy a lot of the time. I have a few business ventures of my own. And I'm moving out of the manor in a week or so. I now have a place in London – I'm moving in with my girlfriend." He told him.

Lucius raised his eyebrows, "Are you serious about her?" he asked.

"We've bought a place together, so it certainly looks that way." Draco pointed out.

"Does she have a name?" Lucius asked.

Draco waited for a moment, steeling himself for his father's reaction. "Hermione Granger." He said eventually.

Lucius stared at his son for a moment, before tossing his head back and letting out a bark of laughter. "I know you want to amend the Malfoy image, but isn't this taking it a little too far?" He said.

Draco's expression never changed, "It's nothing like that, Father. We've both been through a lot, and this past year we've grown close. I'm closer to her than anyone else, and I'm madly in love with her. We are moving in together, and I am looking forward to starting a life with her." He told his father.

"You're going to marry a Muggle." Lucius sighed, sounding resigned to his son's fate.

"She's not a Muggle, she is Muggle-born." Draco clarified, "And mother approves: she and Hermione are on first name basis and get along rather well. And if it's the Malfoy fortune you're worried about, don't." Draco added, "Hermione's heritage is rather affluent – she has little need of my money, I can assure you." He said before walking to the cell door and banging twice to signal he was ready to leave. When the door swung open, Lucius called Draco's attention one last time.

"Son!" He called out, causing Draco to stop and turn. "I'm sorry," Lucius whispered, "For everything. I'm sorry."

Draco looked at his father and swallowed, trying to rid the lump that had formed in his throat. He was incapable of speaking, not knowing what to say and knowing that whatever he said would come out in voice thick with emotion – something Lucius would certainly not appreciate. So instead, he just nodded, before turning and walking out of the cell.

The return trip was just as quiet as the one going; Draco ignored everyone and everything when he returned to the Ministry as he pushed his way determinedly to the apparition point to return home where he could sit and wallow in silence to his heart's content.

As soon as he apparated into the manor, an elf appeared at his side, "Master Draco!" The elf squeaked, "Where has you been? Mistress Cissa has been looking for you."

"I'm sorry, I had some business that needed taking care of. Tell her I'll see her in a bit, I'm just on my way to the library." Draco said, walking off. He heard the elf disappear with a pop, as he made his way into the cavernous library. He walked directly over to the table where the Firewhiskey was sitting and poured himself a generous measure, before taking a seat on one of winged armchairs by the fire.

He wasn't sure how long he was sitting staring at the flames, but his glass had been drained when the door opened quietly. He looked up and saw Hermione entering the room. He gave her a half-hearted smile.

"Hey," she said quietly, shutting the door gently behind her.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"The floors in our apartment were treated and stained this morning; they need twenty-four hours to dry before we can step on them." Hermione explained, as she came towards him. "So Ginny and I came over here to discuss colours and furnishings with Andie and your mother. We've currently taken over the entire dining table with colour charts, fabric swatches and many mood boards." She told him.

Hermione knelt down in front of Draco and rubbed her hands along his thighs in a comforting manner, "How was it?" she whispered.

Draco looked down at his empty glass, "It was awful." He admitted, clearing his throat as his voice cracked. Hermione moved closer, now running her hands up and down his arms. "He's not going to survive it in there, Hermione." Draco whispered, "That was the last time I'm ever going to see him."

Hermione didn't say anything, but took the glass from his hands and placed it gently on the floor before leaning in to hug him. Draco latched his arms around her and pulled her onto his lap, willingly falling into her embrace, shamelessly welcoming the comfort she provided.

"I'm sorry." Hermione whispered, running her fingers through Draco's hair.

"Don't be." Draco said, shaking his head, "He deserves to be where he is after what he's done."

Hermione nodded, "Be that as it may, he is still your father." She said.

"But he was a bastard. He wasn't violent towards me, but his views and his beliefs and how he expressed them made him a complete and utter bastard." Draco said. "But he's still my father," he added quietly after a moment.

They were silent for a moment, and then Draco spoke, "He apologised," his whispered, the lump forming in his throat again, "He said he was sorry. For everything." He swallowed again, not looking at Hermione, but burying his face into her neck so she would not see the emotion in his face.

Hermione took a breath, ignoring the moisture in her eyes, and held him tighter. "He's remorseful for his past," she whispered, her own voice shaking slightly, "We already knew he had some regrets: if he didn't, he wouldn't have helped the Aurors." She reminded him.

They sat silently for a while after that, Draco getting a handle on himself and simply enjoying the comfort Hermione provided him. Eventually, Draco looked up and smiled at Hermione, who returned the smile.

"You should probably get back to your decorating committee." Draco joked, tucking a stray lock of hair behind Hermione's ear.

Hermione chuckled, "I doubt they even realised I left." She said, "They are far too enthusiastic, it's getting hard to reign them in."

Draco laughed, "Please try. I have to live there too, and I do not want ridiculously bright colours thrown about in our bedroom." He said.

"Don't worry, I'm the one buying the paint so I have the final say." Hermione assured him, before giving him a kiss, and slipping from his lip. "Will you be joining us?" she asked.

"I'll follow you." Draco smiled.

Hermione paused, "Are you sure you're ok?" She asked again.

Draco chuckled, "You worry too much." He told her, "But I'm okay, thank you." He smiled at her, a smile that she returned before going back to the dining room.

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_**A/N: So it got a little bit fluffy at the end there. We're slowly paving the way into the story, it's turning into a little bit of a slow burner. But next chapter kicks it up a notch ... I hope you're not going to hate me too much, the one we love to hate will be making an unwanted appearance. lol But on the plus side, we'll get to see some possessive Draco :)**_

_**I will try and get the next chapter up asap, but I'm still working on Winter's Wrath along side this fic, and I've also signed up for the The Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition (here's the link to the forum: forum/The-Quidditch-League-Fanfiction-Competition/ 134505/) It looks super fun, but it's long. There are still some teams that aren't full yet, so if anyone feels up for joining get in there. Even if you don't feel like signing up, you should still check out the forum, pick a team to support and get involved in the Cheer Squad forum to show your support :)**_

_**Once the comp kicks off, that will obviously take priority, but I wont forget you guys, and I will try to keep updating often - hopefully I should be able to manage fortnightly updates :)**_

_**xBx**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: I am so sorry for the delay in this update - a combination of the QLFC, illness, writer's block and RL. But finally, it's here. I'm also really sorry for not replying to all your reviews for last chapter - I have read them all, and thank you so much you guys are amazing.**_

_**And now, I think you've waited long enough for this update, so I'm just going to let you read,**_

_**xBx**_

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**~ Chapter 3: A Tainted Blast from the Past ~**

It was now the last week in July, and Hermione and Draco's flat was almost ready to live in: Hermione's shopping trip with Ginny and Beth had been wildly successful and Hermione's Ministry payout took a serious hit, but it was all completely worth it.

The place was now fully decorated: all the walls were painted, keeping to a neutral but warm colour palate throughout the entire place, with the skirting and coving a contrasting pristine white. The king sized bed for their room, the day-bed for the spare room, and the couch and oversized chairs for the living room were to be delivered in a couple of days, and the large dining suite would be delivered the day after. The master bedroom was currently full of bags of various soft furnishing items that were yet to be distributed to their proper place, but Hermione was leaving those things until last. The kitchen was fully unpacked – Hermione having bought new sets of everything from a kettle and toaster all the way down to placemats and napkin rings (perhaps she had gone a little over-board, but she was thoroughly excited and just couldn't help herself).

Hermione was just clearing up the dust sheets and the debris inside them, which the carpenters had left in the spare room, when Draco apparated into the hallway: she had had the custom-built desk fitted into the spare room, that ran from the door-frame, around the corner, and along half the right hand wall, with bookshelves running up to the ceiling.

"Looking good." Draco commended as he walked into the room, "I feel guilty, shouldn't I be doing something?"

Hermione chuckled, "You tried to help with the painting," she said, "remember how that turned out?"

Draco flushed slightly at the reminder, "So I'm not as handy with a paint brush as I am with a wand. It's not my fault." He mumbled.

"Not that handy?" Hermione laughed, "You splattered more paint on your self, than on the wall and you even stepped in the paint tray. I think 'complete disaster' is a more apt surmise as opposed to 'not that handy'." She joked.

"At least I tried." Draco pointed out.

"Yes you did," Hermione agreed, going over to give him a kiss, "How was your day?" she asked, moving out of the bedroom and going into the kitchen, "Everything go ok at the Ministry?"

"Yep, it took a while," Draco said, following close behind, "But I am now legally the head of the Malfoy enterprise: I have so much power it's unreal." He smirked.

Hermione chuckled, "Don't let it go to your head." She joked, as Draco took a seat on one of the bar stools at the island, while Hermione washed her hands. "Want a cup of tea?" she asked.

"Do you know what time it is?" He asked, laughing. When Hermione looked at him in confusion, he elaborated, "We're having dinner with your parents." He reminded her, "You were supposed to be there a half hour ago, they sent me to come find you."

Hermione's eyes widened, "Shit." She said, biting her lip, "I totally forgot."

"We realised." Draco laughed, standing up and grabbing her hand, "Best not keep them waiting much longer," he said, pulling her back into the hallway, flipping off the lights as he went, before apparating them both into the kitchen of Roseby House.

"Ahh, you found her then?" Anthony Granger's voice greeted them as they appeared.

"Sorry, dad." Hermione grinned sheepishly, "I got distracted with tidying. We're eating down here?" she asked, eyeing the family table already set.

"Family dinner, we always eat in the kitchen." Anthony said, moving into the kitchen to help his wife carry the dishes over. "You kids take a seat."

Hermione smiled, but didn't say a word; it was nice to know that after their initial reluctance, her mother and father were fully supportive of her relationship with Draco. She was also pleasantly surprised at how well Draco got along with them both.

"Now that I've finally got you for an entire evening," Victoria said as she sat down next to Anthony, facing Hermione and Draco, "I would love your input in the organisation of this Gala that's happening on the thirtieth."

Hermione groaned, "I forgot about that," she admitted, "That's four days away, Mother, surely you have it organised by now?"

"Well, yes." Victoria admitted, "But it would be nice to have you're opinion. Now that you've finished school, and are taking a more active role in the family business, it would be good for you to be more involved in the charity events we do." She pointed out.

"I know," Hermione said, "But I've been busy, finding my feet out in the real world. I promise, the next one I will be more hands-on. In fact," Hermione continued thoughtfully, "It would probably be a good idea for me to get to grips with organising something like this; lots of charities have sprung up in the aftermath of the war," she said, now looking at Draco, "We should really do some sort of event to help raise funds and awareness." She said.

Draco sighed, "Why do I need to be involved?" Draco asked, almost pleadingly.

Anthony chuckled, "Believe me, I used to ask the same question." He confided to Draco, earning a slap on the wrist from his wife.

Hermione rolled her eyes, ignoring her father's comment, "Because we are apparently _the_ power couple of the Wizarding World at the moment. I can't believe how often our names are printed in the Daily Prophet since we left Hogwarts." She added, with another eye roll.

Draco snorted and shook his head, "It's been going on longer than that, but being at school we missed most of it." He told her, "And I still don't get how I would be of any help. I'm a Malfoy remember?" he said, dryly.

"What, too much altruism and you'll explode?" Hermione asked sarcastically, causing her father to laugh again, "And it's you being a Malfoy that's your main asset: if we get Harry and Ron on board, we'll have the combined force of the Golden Trio and your resources. Everyone will listen." Hermione pointed out.

"The Daily Prophet," Victoria asked, moving the conversation along before her daughter and Draco started bickering, "That's the Wizarding newspaper, correct?" She asked.

Hermione looked back across at her mother, and Draco mouthed a 'thank you' to Victoria for the distraction. Victoria smiled and gave Draco a small nod of acknowledgement, as Hermione confirmed her assessment.

"Yes," Hermione said, "And when they run out of news, they tend to fill their pages with the continuing antics of the Golden Trio and their close friends. No doubt this Gala will make the pages in one of next weeks additions. Who's on the guest list?" Hermione asked then.

The rest of dinner was spent discussing Victoria's plans for her charity gala. Draco and Anthony very rarely joined in the conversation, having their own quieter discussion. When dinner was over, Draco went with Anthony down into the wine cellar for a beer while Hermione stayed upstairs with her mother to help with the dishes, and their conversation turned to the London flat.

"How's the place coming along?" Victoria asked.

"Really good," Hermione grinned, "The carpenters finished in the study today, so tomorrow they'll be building the entertainment unit and bookshelves in the living room. Then, furniture will be delivered over the following couple of days. After that it's just the furnishings. We should be ready to move in at the weekend." She said gleefully, and was surprised to see her mother's eyes tear up.

"I can't believe you're moving out," Victoria said. "And moving in with a boy!" she added, with a small chuckle, "My little girl is all grown up."

Hermione laughed, "Mother, I grew up a long time ago." She said sadly.

Victoria looked at her daughter properly for the first time in a long time: after their difficult year, last year, with all their misunderstandings and miscommunications, it was nice to finally be getting on the same page.

"You have had a hard time, haven't you?" Victoria asked, her brows creasing together as she tucked a stand of hair behind Hermione's ear, "A lot harder than you've led your father and I to believe."

Hermione smiled, "But I survived," she told her, "And now I can start enjoying a life without the prospect of impeding doom." She joked.

###

On the day of the charity gala, Hermione spent the morning outside attempting to assist her mother in the set up. But, as Victoria seemed to have everything in hand and the workers were more than capable of being left to their jobs, Hermione soon found herself to be standing around like a spare part, and instead she made her way back inside to begin packing up her rooms.

The flat was now ready to move in to; all the furniture had been delivered and unpacked, all the furnishings added where they needed to be, and all that was left to fill the place were Hermione and Draco's possessions along with the couple themselves.

Hermione had already taken one suitcase of clothes, and had finished sorting through the rest of her closet deciding to take only those items she would be most likely to wear: If, for some reason, there was an item of clothing she might need further along the line she could always apparate and pick it up. So this afternoon she began packing up her sitting room into boxes; she had packed up all her business related files in clearly marked boxes, which she then stacked next to the door, and was just making a start on pulling down her school books when there was a knock on the open door and Draco walked into the room.

"That's what you're wearing to your parents' gala?" He asked, taking in her attire of sweat pants and a vest top.

Hermione placed her books on the coffee table, "Of course not," she grinned, "how come you're here already?" she asked.

Draco laughed, "Forget the time again?" he teased. "The gala starts in fifteen minutes. Leave the packing until later and go get change." He told her, flopping down on an armchair and picking up one of her discarded books to pass the time while he waited for her.

Ten minutes later, Hermione reappeared wearing a fifties-style yellow sundress, with a white, half-sleeve, cardigan over the top and simple white ballet flats.

Draco appraised Hermione's appearance as she grabbed her sunglasses from the table by the French-doors. "Ready to go?" She said, "What?" she then asked, noticing Draco's gaze.

Draco smiled, "Nothing," he said, "It's just, summer really suits you." He said simply, rising from his seat. "You look beautiful."

Hermione felt herself blush slightly, "Thank you." Hermione smiled, taking Draco's hand and walking out of her room to go down into the garden. "You look rather dashing yourself." She commended.

Draco smirked, "I'm a Malfoy, it's a given." He teased.

Hermione snorted, "Sometimes I think you've just about lost your old cockiness. And then you say things like that." She joked.

"Now, I have to ask." Draco said slowly, as they made their way outside, "The guest list: will it be the same people who I would have met at Christmas?" Draco asked significantly, and Hermione knew full well whom he was really asking after.

"Some of them, yes." Hermione nodded, "If you're asking about the Aldens: They were offered an invitation – well John and Elizabeth were invited, at any rate, since John and my Father are still business associates despite their waning friendship." Hermione explained, "But they declined, I believe they're in France for a week or so."

"And Dick?" Draco asked bluntly.

Hermione laughed, "_Richard_," she amended, "was not invited, and anyway I believe he's in New York."

"Dick is a perfectly acceptable abbreviation of Richard." Draco said, grabbing a couple of glasses of champagne from a passing waiter, who was making his way from the house to the marquee, and handing one to Hermione.

"Right, because _that's_ the reason you used that name." Hermione said dryly. Draco simply grinned at her, but didn't reply as two new arrivals rounded the corner of the house and made their way directly to them.

Ginny looked about ready to explode with excitement as she eagerly approached the couple, Blaise Zabini was half a step behind taking in his surroundings and looking mildly impressed.

"Nice place, Granger." Blaise said in greeting, "I'm considering allowing you to officially partake in my social circle." He ginned.

"Thank you, Blaise." Hermione smiled, "I consider it an honour." She mocked, before turning to Ginny and grinning widely. "Hey Ginny."

"Hey Hermione." Ginny grinned, her voice quivering with excitement, and Hermione had a shrewd idea as to why.

"You heard back, didn't you?" Hermione asked.

Ginny nodded, "Yeah, I did." She agreed, but not giving anything up – clearly Hermione had to drag it out.

"You made the cut, didn't you?" Hermione humoured her friend.

"Yes!" Ginny squealed, "I'm officially a Harpy!" She yelled, punching the air, and earning a few queer looks. Hermione threw her arms around Ginny with a squeal of excitement of her own as Draco snorted at the phrasing of her statement. Ginny simply grinned at Draco over Hermione's shoulder.

"I don't care," she threw at him, "You are not going to ruin this for me, Ferret."

Draco laughed, "And I don't intend to. Congratulations Weaselette, you deserve it. It was just, you're phrasing left a little to be desired."

Hermione then turned her attention to Blaise, "I'm glad you made it. Have you heard back from the Dragons?" She asked.

Blaise grinned, "I got a spot no problem." He said. "Potter and Weasley not coming?" He asked then, looking around.

"No." Hermione said, after congratulating him, "They're working, they've had a busy week and won't be clocking off for another couple of hours." Hermione was about to suggest that the four of them move into the marquee when Draco suddenly tensed beside her.

"I thought you said he wouldn't be here." He said through clenched teeth. Hermione looked at him questioningly before following his gaze.

Her shoulders slumped and a scowl made it's way onto her face, "You have got to be kidding me." She muttered, before taking a deep breath and plastering a smile on her face as two new arrivals made their way towards them.

Ginny and Blaise moved around so that they were standing just behind Hermione and Draco, curious about who it was to set their friends on the defensive, as Draco put a possessive arm around Hermione's waist.

"Bianca," Hermione smiled at the woman who had just arrived, "It was good of you to come. Is your brother not coming?" she asked

"No," Bianca said, apologetically, "He got called into the office, last minute – you'd think he'd be safe from that on a Saturday." She joked, "He sends his apologies. I hope you don't mind, but I brought a date." She said, quite unnecessarily, indicating to the man stood beside her wearing a self-satisfied smirk.

"Hello, Hermione." He smirked, causing Draco's arm to tighten around her.

"Richard." Hermione said shortly, "I thought you were in New York."

Richard shrugged, "I was. Fourth of July in the Hamptons is not to be missed." He said, "But I'm in England for a week on business, and I just couldn't let Bianca come alone."

"How very altruistic of you." Hermione said dryly, before smiling at Bianca, "Of course I won't begrudge you a plus-one: it's for charity after all, the more the merrier. Why don't you go through-" She said, gesturing to the marquee. "-There's plenty of champagne and hors d'oeurves. And you should take a look at the silent auction we have running, there are some fabulous things up for grabs, including a romantic trip to Paris." Hermione could have left it there, and by god did she try and be the better person, but she just couldn't help herself.

"You should place an offer, Richard. I know Melissa would love to go to France." Hermione smiled sweetly, as Draco cleared his throat, and turned his face to the side to hide his amusement, While Blaise and Ginny looked on in mild confusion.

"Melissa?" Bianca asked slowly, looking from Hermione to Richard.

"Yes." Hermione said, looking back to Bianca, "Remember that name well, because when he's not with you, he's probably fucking her." She said bluntly before finishing her champagne in one gulp, turning and walking into the marquee, leaving the others in a stunned silence.

Draco let her go and stood awkwardly for a second, "We should-" He started, gesturing after Hermione and indicating that he, Ginny and Blaise should follow.

"Yeah," Ginny agreed at the same time as Blaise said, "Right behind you."

"Okay Granger," Blaise said, as the three found Hermione sat a table with a tray of drinks, "What did I miss?"

"Thirsty are you?" Draco smirked, taking one of the glasses and sitting next to her.

"There is not enough alcohol in the world to deal with that tool." Hermione muttered, "That was Richard Alden." She said pointedly at Blaise and Ginny, who looked thoughtful for a moment before comprehension dawned.

"Riiiight." Ginny breathed, "Was he invited?" She asked carefully.

Hermione shook he head, "Suffice to say, we don't really get along anymore. It makes me nervous, having him here." Hermione admitted, "I don't know why, but I just feel like he's up to something. I publicly humiliated him, and we stole his business from under him," she said to Draco, "He's never going to let that go, until he gets back at me, somehow."

"This is a charity event," Draco said calmly, "He'd be foolish to try something here. Let's mingle, smile, and act as if nothing is wrong. Do your part, pose for the camera, and avoid him long enough so that you'll forget he's even here." He told her soothingly, running a hand up and down her arm.

"Right." Hermione agreed, "You're right." She said, giving Draco her hand and standing up, "If you'll excuse me," Hermione said to Blaise and Ginny with a smile and an over-the-top aristocratic accent, "I must needs be a Roseby."

Blaise and Ginny laughed, "Have fun," Blaise grinned, "Don't worry about these," he signalled to the drinks, "We'll take care of them for you."

Draco rolled his eyes, and followed Hermione through the crowds, smiling cheerfully as she did her part as a hostess.

For an hour, Hermione's smile slowly became more genuine as she relaxed into the event and even started having some fun. But as the guests relaxed around her, and champagne and cocktails were consumed, their questions turned their course and Hermione was asked, over and over, for details concerning the demise of her and Richard's relationship. Draco had gone back to sit with Blaise and Ginny, and to introduce them to a few people, which meant Hermione was left to deal with this line of questioning alone.

After half an hour of subtle probing – and some not so subtle – Hermione had taken enough and her genuine smile was replaced by one so fake, it was almost a grimace. At the first available opportunity, Hermione left the marquee and began to make her way briskly back to the house.

Of course, Draco noticed her movements and followed immediately, catching up with her as she entered the house at the back of the entrance hall.

"Are you all right?" He asked quietly, placing a protective hand lightly at her back.

Hermione smiled at him, "These people are exhausting." She said, moving off toward the stairs.

Draco obediently followed, "What have they been saying?"

"They want all their gossip first hand about Richard and me, as well as you and me." She told him as they ascended. "I think Richard has been whispering things in their ear, trying to make me seem like the bad person in all of this."

"You did get him to propose to you in front of the press so that you could publicly refuse, and humiliate, him." Draco reminded her, as they passed through a door and into the billiards room.

"He cheated on me." Hermione stated, "repeatedly."

Draco didn't say anything but gave a hesitant look that clearly said 'so did you.'

"That was different," Hermione said, "Believe me, I was never intending to fall in love with you, but I did. There were genuine feelings involved with us two – Richard was just wanting a shag."

Hermione moved to the sideboard and poured out two generous measures of Firewhiskey, "Can we stop talking about him, now?" she asked, handing Draco a glass.

Draco smirked, "Gladly." He took the glass from Hermione and taking a sip, before sitting on the edge of the table and encircling Hermione in his arms.

"You can't hide up here forever, you know?" Draco said.

"You're right," Hermione grinned, looking up at him slyly. "Take me home?"

Draco chuckled, "There are two problems with that: firstly, you can't just leave in the middle of a charity function, especially when you are technically a host. And Secondly, you are already home."

Hermione frowned, clearly about to argue his problems; "Firstly – well," Hermione faltered, and gave a half-shrug, "all right, I can't disagree with the first one." She admitted, "but with regards to the second: I don't live here anymore, do I?"

"We haven't technically moved in yet," Draco pointed out.

"No," Hermione conceded, "But all our things are there, well most of them at least. I thought maybe tonight could be our first night there."

"I look forward to it," Draco grinned, before bringing his lips to hers.

Hermione blindly set her glass down on the table behind her, and then encircled her arms around Draco's neck deepening the kiss.

Draco emitted a groan as Hermione's tongue swept across his lips, begging entrance. With the chaos of getting their flat ready to move into, it had been over a week since they had spent any time together like this.

Draco instinctively pulled Hermione closer, pressing his body flush against hers, but a moment later he pulled his lips away from hers.

"We should go back," he said, pressing his forehead against Hermione's.

In response, Hermione pressed her body further into Draco's, rubbing her hips against his, and feeling his arousal, "I don't think you're ready to leave just yet." She smirked.

"My dear Lady Roseby-Granger," Draco mocked, smirking back at her, "what exactly are you suggesting?"

Hermione gave him a devilish grin, and quirked an eyebrow, "No one will miss us for a while yet, and the house is entirely deserted." She hinted slyly.

Draco smirked, "Well, when you put it like that…" He crushed his lips back down to hers, and grabbed her hips to pull her even closer. Hermione acted instinctively, immediately lifting her legs and wrapping them around his waist. Draco took her weight effortlessly, and turned them around so that he could perch her on the edge of the Billiards table.

Silently he pulled out his wand, locked the door and cast a silencing charm, before tossing it carelessly to the other side of the table. Returning his focus to Hermione, he pulled away from her lips to kiss along her jaw line and round to her neck, as he slid his hands along her thighs hitching her dress up as he went.

###

Hermione and Draco left the Billiard's room a half hour later, after straightening themselves out, both their moods considerably lighter. Hermione felt ready to face the rest of the event, until her mood plummeted at the sight if Richard's retreating form.

They stepped out of the room just as Richard was about to step down the stairs. "What are you doing up here?" Hermione asked warily, frowning.

Richard jumped and whirled around to face them, barely managing to mask his surprise. "Bathroom break." He said shortly.

Hermione frowned even more, "There's a bathroom off the entrance hall, you don't need to be on this level – no one should be up here."

"This level is not roped off," Richard pointed out, "And the ground floor bathroom was occupied." He looked Hermione and Draco up and down, contempt clear in his eyes, "And what were you two doing, sneaking around up here."

Hermione could feel Draco tensing beside her, so she took a subtle side step in front of him to stop him doing anything stupid.

"This is my house," Hermione reminded Richard, "I hardly need to sneak. And not that it's any of your business, but Draco and I had something to discuss where we wouldn't be interrupted."

Richard snorted, "Don't play demure, Hermione, it doesn't take a genius to know what you were doing. We all know you're a little harlot at heart."

"That's it!" Draco snapped, making to move around Hermione, "Final straw!"

"No," Hermione said, turning on the spot and placing a soothing hand on Draco's chest, "He's not worth it." She said quietly, ignoring Richard's chuckle from behind, as he made his way back outside.

Draco glared over Hermione's head, "I'm going to hit the bastard."

"Not today, you're not." Hermione said sternly, before taking his hand and pulling him down the stairs, "Come on, we should go back out."

When they returned to the marquee, Hermione and Draco immediately sought out Ginny and Blaise who were once again sat at a table, drinks in hand.

"Finally," Ginny said, as the couple joined them, "Where the hell have you been? On second thoughts, don't answer that."

"What's got your attention?" Draco asked Blaise, whose gaze was zeroed in on three men a few tables away.

"How does that Dick bloke know those two?" Blaise asked, not taking his eyes from the trio.

Hermione followed his eye line a saw Richard talking to the two men whom had revealed themselves to Hermione as being Wizards, at her parents' Christmas party.

"They're business associates of Richard's father," Hermione explained, "I only found out at Christmas that they were actually wizards. They don't know that Richard is aware of it, as far as I know. Do you know them?"

Blaise finally tore his gaze away and looked at Hermione, "Unfortunately, yes. My father was involved with some of their business dealings. They're not necessarily bad, but I would be careful about trusting them, especially where money is concerned" he said slowly, "I wouldn't put anything past them; they would stoop pretty low to make a decent amount of gold."

Hermione looked back over to the trio they were discussing, "Now, why does that make me nervous?" she asked quietly.

"Because you are overthinking things." Draco reassured her, "Seriously, Hermione. Richard Alden is just a less than average Muggle. What could he possibly do to us?"

Hermione smiled, and withdrew her gaze, returning her attention to those next to her. She joined in with their conversation, discussing happier things, but even as the evening wore on, Hermione still couldn't shake the unease that had settled in the pit of her stomach.

_._

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**_A/N: I promise not to make you wait as long for the next update, I already have little bits of the next few chapters written out, it just needs rounding out to flow better._**

**_Hope this wasn't too disappointing, and thanks for patiently waiting, you guys are awesome!_**

**_xBx_**


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N: I am so sorry for the delay with this chapter **__***hangs head in shame* **__**- I got distracted by real life, and another story that I've started writing (another Dramione, however I will not post it until this is finished.)**_

_**Thank you for all my reviews - You guys are amazing, I love the support. I hope this chapter was worth the wait :)**_

_**xBx**_

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**Chapter 4: First assignments.**

Hermione stood looking at the bookcase in her living room, frowning. She was due to start at the Ministry the following day; she and Draco had successfully moved into their flat, and had just finished unpacking the final box.

Draco came out of the kitchen with two mugs of tea; handing one to Hermione, he sighed. "Please tell me you are not considering putting them in a specific order."

"They're already in order, why would I change it." Hermione pointed out, still staring at the books with a frown.

"They're already-" Draco rolled his eyes and mumbled, "-of course they are. Then why are you frowning?"

"One of my books is missing," Hermione stated, turning from the shelf and moving to the couch. "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them - but I can't remember if I packed it or not."

"Could it still be at your parents' house?" Draco suggested, sitting next to Hermione and drawing her closer to him.

Hermione shook her head, "No, I didn't leave any books there. I didn't take it Hogwarts either – it's possible it got mixed up with Harry or Ron's books, after the war." Hermione shrugged, "it'll turn up."

"Ready for tomorrow?" Draco asked calmly – he had already started his Ministry employment two days ago, working in the Muggle Liaison department of Magical Law. It was an extremely odd choice for a Malfoy, but Draco's defence was that he had invested a lot of his money in Muggle business and as such, he had learnt a lot about how the various Muggle industries worked. Not every Wizard would be as adept at adjusting as Draco had been, and so it was now his job to act as a form of lawyer for wizards and witches embarking on any form of Muggle business venture or transaction; to interpret and speak on their behalf in the finer points that they may not fully understand.

"A little nervous," Hermione admitted. "But yeah, I think I'm ready."

"Why are you nervous?" Draco asked with a chuckle. "You're Hermione Granger."

"Precisely. And the last time I visited the Ministry, I was a fugitive and I essentially broke into the place," Hermione reminded him. "All may have been forgiven, but I'm sure it won't be forgotten."

"Relax-" Draco shrugged, "-so much has happened since then. Potter and Weasley work there fine – and you've done a lot of more memorable things since then, which will probably be what everyone will be talking about."

Despite Draco's distractions and calming influence that night, by the morning Hermione's nerves were back as she studiously readied herself for her first day. Hermione and Draco left their flat together, walking two streets to their personal apparition spot that they had commandeered, and apparated into the Ministry.

Once Hermione was in the building, some of her anxiety gave way to admiration: The atrium had undergone yet another massive renovation since her last visit, and it seemed they had gone for the 'less is more' approach. Gone was the awful 'Magic is Might' statue that had replaced the Fountain of Magical Brethren, and it its place stood a large fountain once more. On a plinth, in its centre, sat a large stone phoenix with its wings spread wide looking ready to take flight.

Hermione was impressed at the understatement, and the connotations, of the piece - although, she didn't know whether it was a silent to tribute to Dumbledore and the Order, and their work in the fight against Voldemort, or whether it was simply symbolising the rebirth of the Ministry – which, like a phoenix, had risen from the ashes of Voldemort's regime, to be stronger and purer than before. Either way, Hermione liked it.

Draco and Hermione walked hand in hand towards the golden lifts, ignoring the obvious glances that almost everyone shot their way. As the golden grilles slid closed, and the lift jangled into operation, Hermione's first day jitters returned.

She exited the lift, and said goodbye to Draco, at Level Four. Looking around her, she quickly assessed her surroundings and made her way through a series of corridors to the hunting division, where she was to meet her superior.

Passing through a set of double doors, she entered a vast open space, at the centre of which were roughly thirty cubicles arrayed in a myriad of rows. Around the edge of the space were a number of offices, a majority of them with their doors open, as well as a large conference room, whose walls were full windows. Inside the room was a large oval mahogany table, with too many chairs to count set around it.

To the left of the double doors, through which Hermione had just stepped, was the receptionist's desk, at which sat a genial looking red-head who smiled warmly at Hermione as she entered.

"Hi," the redhead greeted. "Hermione Granger right? I recognise you from paper," she admitted. "Sorry, you probably hate hearing that, I know I would. I'm Sarah, by the way. Phil is expecting you, just wait right here and I'll go get him."

Hermione smiled politely through all of Sarah's speech; Sarah didn't have to go far to track down Phil, who was in the conference room, and the pair were standing back in front of Hermione in less than a minute.

"Miss Granger, welcome aboard," the man said, holding out his hand that Hermione took. "I'm Phil Spectre, head of the Hunting division. You already know the Head of the department I believe?"

Hermione nodded, "Yes, I do."

"Great," Phil clapped his hands together. "Follow me to your cubicle, and we'll get you settled."

Hermione followed him into the middle of the cluster of cubicles, into an empty workstation. It was actually surprisingly roomy, with a good-sized desk and two chairs – one for Hermione to work in, and one set to the side for visitors.

"I'm afraid, your first day will be filled with a ridiculous amount of paperwork – everything is there in the folder," Phil indicated the file on her desk. "If you could fill that out, and then take it up to Mafalda on Level one-"

"Mafalda Hopkirk?" Hermione asked, her stomach dropping a little.

"That's the one, she's a sweetheart," Phil assured her, and Hermione smiled. "Your desk should be fully stocked with everything you will need – quills, ink pots, department parchments and forms. If you run out of anything, there's a supply closet at the end of the corridor – just go out of the double doors and turn left. You'll also find the department handbook in your top drawer – familiarise yourself with it as best you can over this week. Now, I have a few errands to run, but if you come find me once you've handed the paperwork to Mafalda, I'll assign you to a Hunter who you will work with on his cases. I would take you on a tour of the Ministry - but rumour has it you've seen the place once or twice before," Phil joked causing Hermione to blush.

"Oh! I almost forgot: here is your identification badge-" he handed her a personalised lanyard, "- try to wear it at all times."

Hermione nodded, taking the lanyard and promptly putting it around her neck. "Thank you Mr Spectre-"

"Call me Phil," he interrupted, and Hermione smiled.

"Phil -" she amended, "- I'll get right to it."

"It's great to have you on board, I'm looking forward to working with you," Phil declared, before pacing away from the cubical.

Hermione took a deep breath and sat herself down in the chair and pulled the stack of official parchments to her. Pulling out a quill and inkpot, she set to work on the mundane task of first day admin.

She had been at it barely five minutes when she was distracted by a female's head popping over the top of the dividing wall to her left.

"Hey," the woman grinned down at Hermione. "I'm Jo."

"Hermione,"

"I know." Jo grinned wider as Hermione groaned.

"Does everybody know me?" she asked.

"Honey, you're part of the Golden Trio that saved the world. Of course everybody knows you. How's the admin coming along?"

Hermione sighed, "Honestly? I've never done anything so tedious. How long before I get to go out in the field?"

"Not right away," Jo admitted, and Hermione groaned which caused Jo to laugh. "I know, we've all been there, but the time will fly by. I'm heading down to the coffee cart, do you want anything?"

Hermione smiled, "A tea would be great – milk, no sugar."

"I'm on it," Jo declared. "And when I get back, you can tell me about the real you."

Hermione laughed, before turning back to her mundane task. Jo returned fifteen minutes later with two steaming Styrofoam cups. Setting one down on Hermione's desk, she took the vacant seat in the cubicle and began to chat amicably.

Hermione entered into the conversation easily, while still studiously working through the forms. After another hour she finally had them completed. Jo went back to her own work, and Hermione gathered the forms and made her way back through the department and to the lifts.

She exited at level one, her stomach aflutter with nervous butterflies – she couldn't help but wonder if Mafalda remembered being attacked just outside the Ministry two years ago.

As she made her way toward Mafalda's office, she was surprised to see Draco walking towards her.

"What are you doing up here?" She asked with a smile.

Draco returned the smile, and held up the handful of papers he was holding, "had to collect some forms. What brings you up here?" he asked smiling, before his smile faltered, "You look pale, is everything alright?"

"I have paperwork to give to Mafalda Hopkirk," Hermione admitted, sounding nervous.

"Ah, yeah," Draco nodded – he had had to go through the same thing. "She's harmless."

Hermione sighed, "Remember what I said, about how I essentially broke in here?"

"Yes," Draco said slowly, confused as to where this was going.

"That was a little bit of an understatement – I told you last year that I used Polyjuice to disguise myself. What I didn't say was that I attacked a Ministry worker in broad daylight: stunned her, left her in an abandoned warehouse and stole the contents of her purse." Hermione explained.

"Riiiight," Draco drawled, wondering what she was telling him this for.

"Do you really not see where I'm going with this?" Hermione asked desperately.

Comprehension finally dawned, and shock quickly gave way to amusement – "You impersonated Mafalda?" Draco hissed.

Hermione nodded, "Yes – I effectively stole her identity – that's fraud, I could be arrested for that!"

Draco grinned, "Well, good luck with that. I have a trip to New York to plan."

"Wait, what?" Hermione said, momentarily distracted.

"Go sort your paperwork," Draco smiled over his shoulder as he made his way back to the lifts. "I'll tell you about it at dinner. Assuming of course that you haven't been arrested."

Draco disappeared quickly, before Hermione could hurl abuse at his retreating form. Taking a deep breath, Hermione stood herself tall with her head held high and continued on to Mafalda's office. Knocking on the door she waited until a genial voice called out, "enter!"

"Miss Hopkirk," Hermione said as she entered. "I have my employment forms, to start my employer records?"

"Ahh yes," Mafalda said, looking up with a smile. "Welcome to the Ministry Miss Granger – first day is it?"

"Yes," Hermione nodded, going over to the desk and handing the file over to Mafalda's waiting hands.

"At least you're using your own identity today," Mafalda smiled, and Hermione paled even more.

"I'm really, really sorry about that," Hermione said quickly. "Truly I am, but desperate times called for desperate measures."

Mafalda chuckled, "There was no lasting damage done. Thank you for these, you can get back to work."

Hermione turned and hastily made her way back down to her department, where she sought out Phil who directed her to a man named Robert Hall. It transpired that, for Hermione's first week while she familiarised herself with the department, she would essentially be Robert's secretary: She would be in charge of going through his memos and creating files of cases that needed to be looked into, as well as piecing together reports and write-ups of cases already looked into.

Hermione acclimated to her job quickly enough, and by the end of the week she had an efficient daily routine. During her evenings, she would curl up on her couch and read the department handbook, ignoring Draco's teasing of her book-wormish ways.

Draco went to New York the following Monday, to assist a Wizard client in purchasing some Muggle Property, and the first couple of days of his absence were rather quiet – both in work and out.

Monday morning was filled with the usual start of the week, full team meeting in the conference room. This week's main task was regulation checks – farms housing Magical Creatures were to adhere to strict regulation that would stop the creatures from escaping, and stop Muggles finding them. There were a few places to check on, and Hermione accompanied Robert to all of them, taking down the notes she needed to complete the accompanying paperwork.

On Wednesday morning, the routine was broken when Phil emerged from his office brandishing a sheaf of parchment, "The dragon's back!" he called out, claiming everyone's attention.

Hermione stood to look over the top of her cubicle, and glanced at Jo, "Dragon?"

"It's been giving the department hell for a year – it keeps cropping up in the odd places, and Muggles keep seeing it. But it's afraid of humans, so it disappears as quick as it comes, and we can't find it – it used to be under Gringotts, before it was freed about eighteen months ago. The strangest story," Jo smirked at Hermione.

Hermione's cheeks pinked, but she didn't say anything as Phil started speaking.

"This time it's been sighted in Northumberland – muggles spotted it, but the accidental magic reversal squad have already been and fixed their memories. We think it's hiding out in the hills up there – the hikers that came across it were well off the beaten track," Phil explained. "Robert, Mike, and Claire – gather a team together and meet in the conference room in five minutes."

There was a bustle as the order was attended to, and Hermione was about to quiz Jo some more on the elusive dragon when Robert came around the side of cubicle.

"Hermione, come with me, I want you on the team," he said briskly.

Hermione looked at him with surprise, "Me? But I've only been here a week."

"I know, it's unorthodox to have a rookie on a case like this, but I think _you_ might be some help. Let's go," he declared, turning and walking away.

Hermione quickly followed her superior into the conference room, where quickly enough the team of fifteen gathered around the table. Hermione was conscious of the questioning and sceptical looks thrown her way, but she sat tall and confident as if she was positive she was meant to be here.

When Phil sent a quizzing look to Robert, Robert spoke up before a question was asked. "I know Hermione isn't a seasoned hunter, but here me out. For a year, this dragon has been a thorn in our side – it only reveals itself every few months it's obviously seeking out caves to hide in for a lot of its time. When we manage to corner it, it's pure chaos. We know it's been taught to fear noise, but the thing is obviously terrified of humans as well. But dragons are smart – maybe it won't be terrified of all humans. Maybe the human that helped free it from its prison will be able to get close enough to subdue it."

This suggestion was met with silence – whether sceptical or thoughtful, Hermione was unsure as she was looking at Robert with incredulity, her mouth slightly open.

"That's why I'm here?" Hermione asked. "Do you realise how overly optimistic that suggestion is? Dragons are clever, yes. And if this one remembers me, it will remember all aspects of its escape: namely the complete chaos surrounding it, the noise and number of spells the poor thing got hit with. To be honest, if the dragon recognises me, it's more likely to eat me."

"So the rumours surrounding your Gringotts break-in are true?" one the team asked.

"There's a time and a place, Wilkes," Phil said. "This isn't it."

"What exactly is the plan, if we were to successfully subdue it?" Hermione asked, ignoring the previous exchange.

"Crate it and send it to Romania, where it can rehabilitate and be released back amongst its own kind," Phil explained. "But so far, all we've managed to do is startle it, and it flies off before we can stop it."

"Maybe we're approaching this all wrong," Claire spoke up. "Maybe we shouldn't try and catch it, but simply contain it."

"Go on," Phil said.

"We find where it's hiding – send a couple in to ascertain its position – but before we get close enough that we scare it, we put up wards so that the Dragon can't get out of the vicinity, and Muggles can't get in. It's only a short-term measure, but it will give us time to figure out how best to subdue it, without worrying about it disappearing on us again."

Phil nodded, "It's worth a shot. All right, here's what we'll do: Robert, we're going to test out your theory – you and Hermione will go ahead of us, try and draw it out. When you sight it, send up sparks. The rest of us will form a perimeter around the site where the sighting was reported – once we see sparks, we'll close in and cast the usual array of protective enchantments. Gather your necessary equipment and make your way down to level six; there'll be a portkey ready to leave in ten minutes."

There was another bustle of movement as everyone vacated the conference room. Hermione followed Robert into his office: it was fairly large, with a sizeable desk and a couple of comfy chairs. A collection of filing cabinets was arranged around the walls, and on one wall was a large wardrobe.

"In there-" Robert indicated the wardrobe, "-you'll find some hiking boots, and some more suitable attire. Shrink them to the right size and get changed, I'll wait outside." He declared, grabbing a pack from the corner and disappearing.

Hermione looked in the wardrobe and was surprised to see an array of Muggle attire. She pulled out a pair of denim jeans, and a fitted long sleeve t-shirt. Quickly changing, she amended the attire so that it fit her snugly, before pulling on a pair of the hiking boots and exiting the office. Ten minutes later, the team of hunters had left the Ministry, using three separate portkeys, and had appeared on the Northumberland hills, half way up a particularly steep incline. After being given exact co-ordinates, the team apparated out to their designated locations, leaving Hermione and Robert alone somewhere in the middle of them all.

"Let's go," Robert barked, striking off up the hill. Hermione dutifully followed. When they reached the summit, they were able to look down on into a hollow, surrounded by hills on all sides. The hollow was empty, except for a small lake, but Hermione noticed a shadow in the hills that could easily be a chasm of some description. After silently pointing it out, they descended into the hollow and cautiously approached the cave's entrance.

Communicating wordlessly, Hermione hesitantly advanced into the chasm, in front of Robert. Barely ten steps in and the dark pressed in on them from all sides, and Hermione had to light her wand if she were to have the slightest chance of seeing anything.

As they rounded a slight corner, the light from Hermione's wand touched the edge of a vast open space. Hermione stopped as she heard the unmistakable sound of large, leathery, wings unfolding, followed by a deafening roar. Suddenly, the cave was filled with a bright light, as flames engulfed the ceilings, momentarily lighting the area and illuminating Robert, Hermione and the Dragon for all to see.

"We found the dragon. And it's not happy – I feel justified in saying I told you so," Hermione snapped, hastily stepping backwards, her wand held high. "Go back, and send up the sparks-" she ordered, as the dragon got to its feet and made to move towards them "-and be quick, because I think we're about to be chased."

Hermione was half right: no sooner had Robert hastily retreated with Hermione close behind, then the Dragon turned and lashed it's tail hitting the rocks in the place where Hermione had been stood only moments before.

Chunks of rubble flew everywhere, some hitting Hermione's retreating form causing her to stumble. She quickly regained her balance, and continued, distinctly aware of the sounds of heavy movement from somewhere close behind.

"You might want to hurry!" Hermione called. "I think this particular dragon has a score to settle!"

When they made it back out into the sunlight, Hermione chanced a glance behind her just in time to see a fireball hurling her way. She cried out a warning, and threw herself to the side. Flames licked her arm, but thankfully she had missed the worst of it.

"Send up the sparks, now!" She yelled, at the same time as letting off a succession of gong-like sounds from her wand.

"What the hell are you doing?" Robert shouted, as he sent up the signal.

"It was trained to fear loud noises," Hermione reminded him as the dragon emerged from the entrance where is sent out another stream of fire, before thrashing its tail in Hermione's direction. "Unfortunately, it would seem freedom has replaced fear with anger."

Hermione chanced a glance up to the tops of the surrounding hills, and was happy to see the full team encircling them with their wands held high. Hermione and Robert attempted to distract the dragon long enough, so it wouldn't attempt to fly before the barriers were in place. Thankfully, the team were efficient, and in less than three minutes, Phil's magically magnified voice boomed down into the valley: "The spells are cast; get yourselves out."

Instantly, Robert grabbed Hermione and apparated them both to the top of the hill.

"Are you two all right?" Phil asked, when they were safely outside the perimeter, taking in their dishevelled appearance – Hermione's hair was singed at one side, and a glossy burn was stinging her right arm. Hermione ignored the question, and glared at Robert.

"I know: _you told me so_," Robert said. "If it will make you feel any better, you can write it in your report."

Hermione scowled, "what about the part where I was used as bait?"

"I'd try to phrase it a little different," Robert smirked. "Welcome to the Hunting division."

The team regrouped back at the three portkeys and travelled back to the Department of transportation, where Hermione had her burn seen to, before trudging back up to her cubicle.

"How was your first hunt?" Jo asked as Hermione sat herself in her chair.

"Eventful," she said carefully and Jo laughed.

"Robert left the file on your desk, for you to complete your report," Jo said briskly, "now I'm off on a hunt of my own – a niffler got into a muggle apartment. Not as exciting as a dragon, but it gets me out of the office."

With that Jo disappeared, leaving Hermione to do her paperwork in peace while trying to ignore the stinging in her right arm.

The peace and quiet lasted an hour, until she was interrupted by the sound of footsteps coming into her cubicle, followed by a disgruntled sigh and the sound of someone dropping heavily into a chair. Hermione looked up from her desk and was surprised to see that it was Draco who had planted himself on the spare chair.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, pleasantly surprised. "I thought you were in New York until the end of the week."

"I got sent back."

Hermione looked at him suspiciously, "What did you do?"

"Nothing unwarranted," was Draco's cagey response, though he avoided Hermione's eyes.

"That doesn't answer my question. What did you do?" Hermione repeated, setting her quill down and looking at him sternly.

"I may – or may not – have lost my temper, and punched someone." Draco admitted.

"Draco," Hermione whined putting her face in her hands, "you punched a Muggle? You're supposed to be trying to change the image of your family name. This is not going to help."

"The git deserved it, I swear it Hermione," Draco defended himself. "And I tried to keep my cool - honest to Merlin, I did – but for a full half hour that bastard was purposefully trying to rile me. He's had that punch coming for a long time."

Hermione frowned again, _had it coming a long time?_ She was struck with a sudden thought, and she leaned back in her chair. "Your client was wanting to purchase real estate, yes?"

"Yes," Draco said, thinking she was changing the subject. "He's been living in Europe, but is relocating to the States for business and so for the rest of the year he wanted somewhere spacious, but quiet. With the amount of gold at his disposal, we thought the Hamptons would be ideal – a lot of the larger houses are only opened up for the summer."

"Whose house is your client purchasing?"Hermione asked shrewdly.

Draco looked down at his lap, "Richard Alden's" he mumbled.

Well, that changed everything. "Did you hit him hard?" Hermione asked after a moment.

Draco looked up with a smirk, "I floored the arrogant prick."

Hermione couldn't help but grin, "Good to know. Though I still don't condone this – you shouldn't be punching Muggles. What did he say to wind you up so much? And why is Richard selling?"

Draco shook his head, "I'm not repeating it. But let's just say, he was less than savoury about you. And he said he had a new business venture in England that would require his presence permanently."

"Oh joy, he's coming back permanently," Hermione said, the sarcasm dripping from her words. "Thank you for defending my honour," she said quietly after a moment, before picking up her quill and returning to her paperwork.

"Get to do anything exciting while I've been away?" Draco asked.

"I went out this morning, to try and catch a dragon - the same dragon Harry, Ron and I let loose from Gringotts. It's very anti-human now, and my supervisor thought perhaps it might be more favourable towards a human that helped it escape its imprisonment." Hermione explained.

"Was it?" Draco asked slowly, noticing Hermione's pedantic tone.

"Nope. So now I'm writing a field report." Hermione looked up, "But I might be able to get off early, once I finish this. Do you want to go out for dinner?"

Draco smiled, "It's a date. I'll see you at home, but first I have to write a report of my own, explaining my untoward behaviour." Draco gave Hermione a quick peck on the lips, before disappearing around the cubical.

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_**A/N: You will be happy to hear I have the next three chapters planned out, and I am determined to to get the up over the next few weeks. I've just posted my Round 4 entry in the QLFC, and the Bats have a BYE for round 5, which means I have more time to focus on this, so I should be better with my updates.**_

_**Thanks again, for being so patient :) the story is starting to move forward now, into the main plot, so I can't wait to get writing these next chapters.**_

_**xBx**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N: Woop! Speedy update...well speedy for me recently, anyway. This is a little bit of a filler chapter, so it's not very long - not a lot happening, but it sets up the next chapter. Which I will be working on very soon, I can hopefully have it up next week.**_

_**Thank you for my reviews, I really appreciate it. And thank you for not giving up on me :)**_

_**xBx**_

* * *

**Chapter 5: Humdrum**

After such an eventful start to her career, Hermione's next cases were a little mundane – with the exception of the confiscation of some new animals that had been experimentally bred. They looked to be a cross between a tebo and a fire crab: they retained most of the vestiges of the fire crab, namely the jewelled shell and fire-shooting, but it also had the tebo's ability to become invisible. It was, therefore, quite an experience trying to capture, and crate-up, animals that kept disappearing and shooting fire all at the same time.

The new clinic in Nottingham was coming along perfectly, but as August slipped into September Hermione had to take on extra duties, as Beth was scheduled to return to University in a little over two weeks.

As the summer drew to a close, Hermione and Draco hosted their first dinner party in their new home, to satisfy the constant nagging of Harry and Ron, who were yet to see the place. Of course, Dudley and Beth were also invited - Hermione having become attached to the girl after working so closely with her over the summer months; Ginny and Baise were also invited to join the party. The first Saturday in September was the date set for the get together, and Hermione began fretting over the evening, long before the morning was well underway.

Draco emerged from the bedroom, wearing nothing but a pair of pyjama pants, a little after nine, to find Hermione sat up at the kitchen island bench. At least three books were scattered around her, all open, and Hermione was pouring over them, looking stressed, while worrying her lip and making notes: it was like Hogwarts all over again.

"What are you reading this time?" Draco asked, pouring himself a coffee.

"Cook books," Hermione stated, not looking up. "I need to figure out what I'm cooking, so I can go to the market this morning and get what I need. I think I have the menu all sorted-"

"Menu?" Draco interrupted. "We're having friends over for dinner, not opening a restaurant."

Hermione did look up this time, and gave Draco a teasing smile that almost verged on smirk.

"What?" Draco asked warily.

"Oh nothing," Hermione shrugged before looking back down, still grinning. "You just included Ginny, Ron and Harry in your friends category. Not to mention a couple of Muggles."

Draco was silent for a moment; he really had no defence. "So, this menu. Nothing outrageous I hope?"

"Just three simple courses: starter, main, dessert," Hermione assured him, tearing off the top page of paper from the pad she had been making notes on. "I'll be back in a couple of hours."

"Do you want me to call in at the Manor, and bring back some _assistance_?"

Hermione frowned, knowing full well that when Draco said _assistance_ he meant a _house elf. _"No. Thank you."

By the middle of the afternoon, Hermione changed her tune ever so slightly. Their guests were due to arrive in a matter if hours, she was behind schedule with her food preparations, and she still needed to shower and change. But, while she thought perhaps the willing assistance of a free elf would be incredibly welcome right about now, she refused to voice the opinion out loud. So, when Draco repeated his offer from the morning, Hermione determinedly refused.

"I'm going to pick up some wine from the Manor. Are you sure you don't want me to ask Mitzi to help? She really wouldn't mind.

"I'm fine. Honestly." Hermione said, without looking at him. But Draco could see she was far too stressed out.

"I'll be back in fifteen."

Draco disappeared, and true to his word he return fifteen minutes later, but with Mitzi in tow.

"Draco," Hermione whined, when she saw he had not returned alone.

"You're stressed out, and guests will be arriving soon," Draco defended before Hermione could begin a tirade.

"Cooking goes quicker with two pairs of hands, instead of one, miss," Mitzy said knowledgeably, making her way into the kitchen and surveying the workspace. The elf snapped her fingers, and in the blink of an eye a narrow ledge appeared that ran all around the Kitchen. The edge was wide enough, and high enough, that Mitzy could walk along at the correct height, allowing her full access to the worktops.

"What are you doing?" Hermione asked, slightly surprised at Mitzy's self assured - and almost bossy - demeanour. With Hermione's past experience of house elves, she was used to shy and overly eager to please; this was something quite new.

Mitzy looked at Hermione with wide eyes, the self-assured manner replaced with horror.

"Mitzy is terribly sorry miss. Master Draco said the same rules would apply here, as at Malfoy Manor. Master Draco said I was to help his miss with the cooking. Mitzy will punish herself if she has done something wrong."

As she spoke, Mitzy's hand reached out to the wooden spoon sat on the countertop, no doubt intending to beat herself over the head with it.

"No!" Hermione ejaculated quickly. "I was just surprised at you using magic. You have done nothing wrong Mitzy, I'm sorry for making you think so."

"Does miss no longer require Mitzy's help?" the elf asked, looking thoroughly dejected at the prospect.

Hermione was torn: she could use the help, and Mitzy looked ready to burst into tears if Hermione turned her , at the same time, Hermione felt she would be going against her SPEW beliefs.

"Come on Hermione," Draco said patiently. "Let her help: Mitzy is doing this because she wants to, not because I told her to."

The elf nodded enthusiastically, " 'Tis true miss. Mitzy heard Master Draco talking to Mistress, and Mitzy offered to help. There is not much work to do at the Manor now there is only three people living there. Mitzy misses cooking for lots of people."

Hermione sighed; ganged up on from both sides, she was thoroughly defeated. "All right, thank you Mitzy. I would be delighted with your help."

For the next hour, the pair worked amicably - Mitzy taught Hermione a few useful tricks at keeping different foods fresh and warm for long periods, and Hermione approached the touchy subject of Elf-Rights. Hermione was surprised at how receptive to the conversation Mitzy actually was: She was in no way as fanatical as Dobby had been about freedom. But Mitzy was very open about her enjoyment in serving Master Draco as far surpassing that of when she served Master Lucius - he was a far more lenient master, who never allowed self-punishment, and who allowed them freedoms they had never had before - including days off and a sallary.

When every course was finished, and Mitzy had given Hermione explicit instructions on the best warming methods, the elf returned to Malfoy Manor and Hermione quickly changed before the first of the guests arrived.

While Hermione had been getting changed, Draco had sat himself on front of the TV – which he had recently got to grips with – and there he remained for a while.

Beth and Dudley were the first to arrive, and were both impressed with the interior as Hermione led them through to the kitchen to serve them drinks.

"Draco will join us in a moment," Hermione apologised. "I made the mistake of introducing him to Reality TV – he is now hooked on Real Housewives."

Beth laughed, "Which one? OC? New York? Beverly Hills?"

"Yes," Hermione said, rolling her eyes, and Beth laughed once more.

"I am just in awe of how these people live," Draco called from the couch. "I mean it's crazy. Their all crazy, _she's_ definitely crazy!"

"Turn it off," Hermione said, just as the buzzer rang to announce the next arrivals. "And go answer the door."

Draco reluctantly obliged, and a few minutes later Harry, Ron, Ginny and Blaise made their way into the Kitchen.

"Wow, you weren't kidding, Gin," Ron said, looking impressed. "This place is pretty swanky."

"Thank you Weaselbe," Draco grinned.

Ron rolled his eyes at the old insult, "Your welcome, _Ferret._"

"Can you tell they used to hate each other?" Hermione said dryly to Dudley and Beth.

Dinner went more smoothly than Hermione had anticipated: Blaise and Ginny spent most of the first course filling everyone in on the pre-season Quidditch talk, but as Dudley and Beth didn't understand a word of what they were saying, Harry – with the assistance of everyone except Hermione – proceeded to try and explain the finer points of the game.

By the time the main course was served, Quidditch dominated the main conversation; Dudley tried to keep up, but Beth decided to drop out of the conversation and instead questioned Hermione on her work in the Wizarding world.

Hermione had already explained the field she would be going into, but she proceeded to tell Beth about her eventful first week.

"A dragon?" Beth whispered, after staring dumbfounded for a minute of so. "Sometimes I regret asking questions. So dragons are real?"

Hermione nodded, "But Muggles aren't supposed to know, so you didn't hear that from me."

"My lips are sealed. I suppose one good thing about the Ministry is that it's a safe haven from Richard Alden – I hear rumours he's coming back to London," Beth said warily.

Hermione frowned, "Unfortunately, Richard seems bent on infecting every aspect of my life. But apparently he is returning to England," Hermione then explained how she knew this information, detailing Draco's run-in with Richard in New York. This caused a disruptive outburst of laughter from Beth, which effectively drew everyone's attention and put an end to the Quidditch talk.

By the end of the main course, the conversation had turned to work, and after Hermione and Draco had spoke briefly about their new jobs in the Ministry, Hermione set to probing Harry and Ron about their new cases. Of course, they 'were not at liberty to divulge sensitive case information' but after a few more glasses of wine Hermione managed to get a few pieces of interesting information from them - though it was nothing that could jeopardize the cases or their jobs.

After dessert, the boys remained gathered around the table, going back to a conversation centred around sports - both Muggle and Magical - while the girls removed to the sofas.

"I still can't get over how big that fireplace it," Beth commented as she took her seat. "You can fit a grown man in there, surely."

"I know, it's brilliant, isn't it?" Hermione agreed. "I keep meaning to speak to Kingsley, and get it hooked up to the floo network - it would be so handy."

"The _what_ network?" Beth asked, suddenly lost in the conversation.

"Wizards can travel from fireplace to fireplace, with the assistance of floo powder," Hermione explained. "But only certain fireplaces are hooked up to the floo network, so not all fireplaces are accessible."

Beth didn't really know what to make of this new piece of information, and so she changed the subject, "how's the bar going?"

The rest of the evening passed in amicable maturity, somewhat surprising for a group who all under twenty but they had all matured beyond their years. Dudley and Beth were the first to depart, with the promise of repeating the evening when they were on break from university - until then, Hermione promised to keep her up to date with the goings on of the clinic. The others left not long after, leaving Hermione and Draco to clear up and reflect on their success.

###

The following day Hermione spent a full afternoon with her parents, while Draco spent the afternoon with his mother at the Manor. After scouring her room thoroughly to make sure her missing book was not hidden under her bed, or somewhere equally ridiculous, Hermione sat down with her mother and a pot of tea. They sat out on the patio, enjoying what was possibly the last of the fine weather before Autumn set in. After discussing Hermione's job, and the progress of the clinic - or more particularly, giving Victoria the go-ahead to start hiring with the intention of opening in the new year - Hermione turned the conversation to the main purpose of her visit.

"I've been thinking of organising a charity event of my own," Hermione started, "since you were less-than-subtle in your suggestion the other week."

Victoria grinned, "I don't know what you mean. Go on."

"Nothing too big - it is my first after all. But I was thinking a masquerade, at the club, on Halloween. A lot of people dress up for the holiday, and lot go out, it should be easy to get some donations," Hermione said. "But I will probably need your help."

Victoria nodded thoughtfully, "It should be rather easy to plan - though you will want to start advertising soon, so the quicker we get planning the better."

Hermione grinned, knowing she could count on her mother to head her in the right direction.

"I heard Richard has returned to England," Victoria said carefully, as they made their way inside. "Living back in London full time?"

"Apparently," Hermione said, not really wanting to talk about him. "Thankfully London is a pretty big place - I think I should be safe from running into him there. Besides, I'm sure our jobs are so completely different, that I have very little reason for running into him."

"Unless he starts stealing magical creatures," Victoria joked, and Hermione laughed.

"Hopefully he'll start with a hippogriff, forget to bow, and get trampled."

The pair spent an easy afternoon slowly bringing Hermione's initial ideas to fruition, and by dinner time they had already made a start on promoting the event.

While Hermione had been having a productive afternoon, Draco had been having a welcome conversation with his mother and Harry, who had called at the manor to deliver good news.

"You appeal hearing has been schedule," Harry declared as he was seated in the drawing room. "Thursday morning, 10am."

"_This_ Thursday?" Draco asked, slightly taken aback, and Harry nodded. "But that doesn't leave much time to prepare."

Harry shrugged, "What is there to prepare? Narcissa, you've complied with the terms of your release - you've never left the manor grounds, except once. And that was with the permission, and supervision, of the Minister. Reports from the mandatory auror visits are all positive. The threat to yourself is considerably lighter now - we've nearly caught everyone on the list your husband gave us - there are just a handful whom prove elusive. You won't be asked to present a case, or anything of the sort," Harry explained. "This is more a formality, for the Ministry to assess your situation - unless something goes drastically wrong, I would say that this time next week, you will be allowed to go anywhere in the UK that you would wish."

"The UK?" Narcissa asked, picking up the limitation immediately.

"Yes," Harry said. "You won't be completely free - you still have a sentence to serve regarding your involvement in the Death Eaters. Your sentence will just be more lenient. From what I can gather of my conversations with the Wizengamot, it's likely you will be allowed out between the hours of sunrise and sunset - after dark, you will have to be in the manor grounds. I believe Andromeda will still be held accountable for your actions, and so she will need to accompany you when you venture out-"

"Fine by me," Andromeda smiled, "You're not tired of me just yet, are you?"

Narcissa rolled her eyes, "Getting close," she joked, their old, gentle sibling rivalry coming out to play. "But I suppose I can put up with you another year."

Harry smiled, knowing she was not serious, and continued, "For security reasons, your travel will be limited to the UK - it's not that we don't trust you, but with a number of Death Eaters still out there overseas..." Harry let the implications hang in the air.

Narcissa nodded, "I understand. It's to cover my back, as well as yours. Thank you Harry, you have been incredibly kind to me through all of this - I'm aware it is probably more than I deserve."

"Mother-" Draco started with a frown; he knew she had had little choice in the path she was forced to walk as the wife of Lucius Malfoy.

"No, Draco-" Narcissa interrupted her son, "-our family has done great wrong against Harry, in the past."

"In the past," Harry repeated. "Things are different now - I admit, when the war ended I never thought in a million years I would be sat in your sitting room, having a genial conversation, on a first-name basis. I also would never have imagined by best friend shacking up with you-" he looked at Draco, "but here we are. And if I'm to continue seeing my godson, I should probably be nice to the mistress of the house," Harry said turning back to Narcissa.

* * *

_**A/N: The tebo is an ash coloured warthog, very dangerous and can make itself invisible. A fire crab is a large, turtle like crab creature, with six legs and a heavy jewelled shell. It protects itself by shooting flames from its rear end.**_

_**I thought I would add these here, just in case anyone was unsure what they were (I had never heard of a tebo until a researched creatures for this chapter lol)**_

_**Next chapter I will include more of Harry and Ron, and their personal lives :) I feel like I've neglected them a little bit, and I'm determined to resolve that issue. I've got a chapter to finish for my other fic, but once it's posted (which should be before the weekend) I'll get cracking on chapter 6 :)**_

_**xBx **_


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N: Woohoo! It's finally here, so sorry about the wait. Thank you for all my reviews - you guys are awesome.**_

_**I know I said in my last A/N that Harry and Ron would be more prominent in this chapter, but what I wanted to write didn't really fit, so it is deferred to next chapter - Sorry :(**_

_**Enjoy :)**_

_**xBx**_

* * *

**Chapter 6: Autumn Trials**

Hermione took the next Thursday off work to be with Draco during his mother's hearing, for which he was grateful. Draco knew there was nothing to worry about, knew it was simply a formality, but he and his family were still receiving a decent amount of negative attention, and it was nice to have Hermione by his side. It was nothing like the trial had been; Narcissa's hearing was held on level two, in the Wizengamot office, with only three Wizengamot representatives. Minister Shacklebolt was also present, as was Harry.

The hearing took a little over an hour, and in the end it went exactly how Harry had told them it would. The hearing was over by lunchtime, and Narcissa was free to leave the Ministry and go wherever she pleased - within reason.

"Why don't we go out to lunch?" Draco suggested as he made his way back through the atrium with Hermione and his mother by his side. "We could try that new French cafe that opened just off Diagon Alley?"

Narcissa gave a nervous glance around her, taking in the distrustful looks, "I don't know, I don't think I'm quite ready to handle the constant staring just yet."

"We could go out into Muggle London," Hermione suggested. "No one will be staring there - no one knows us."

"That's a little untrue," Draco smirked. "Granted, we're not as well known to the Muggles as to the Wizards, but we're still not exactly nobodies - you certainly aren't. Why don't we go home for lunch?"

Narcissa rolled her eyes at her son as they approached the apparition points, "my first taste of freedom and you want to take me right back to the Manor?"

"No," Draco countered patiently. "I meant the flat: Hermione's and my home."

Narcissa smiled, "that would be nice."

Draco apparated with his mother - he brought them out in their commandeered alleyway, where Hermione joined them a second later. Hermione transfigured their clothes with an efficient wave of her wand, so that they could blend in with the muggles. As they walked the two streets to the flat, Draco could see his mother starting to come back to life; Narcissa's smile started to become more genuine, less forced, and she began to walk a little taller, some of her old confidence coming back.

Draco gave his mother a tour of their humble abode while Hermione rustled up a simple lunch and a pot of tea.

The place looks wonderful," Narcissa smiled as the three sat down to table. "The only thing missing is a piano."

Draco grinned, "I told you so," he smirked at Hermione. "I said a simple upright would fit nicely in here, over by the windows, behind the couch."

"And I said 'good luck getting it up the stairs'."

"Magic," Draco said simply as his mother watched the exchange with amusement.

"Surrounded by Muggles," Hermione countered in the exact same tone.

"Challenge accepted," was all that Draco said, as Hermione rolled her eyes, effectively putting an end to that particular conversation. Lunch was incredibly relaxed as Draco told his mother all about his work.

As Hermione cleared away the lunch things, and made another pot of tea, Narcissa quizzed the couple of their future plans. She started off simply enough; asking about their plans for expanding the bar - Draco had mentioned something in passing to her and she was curious to know more.

"It's something we're looking into," Draco said as Hermione joined them on the couch. "But we don't want to take on too much at once."

Narcissa smiled, "you have many years ahead of you yet. And how long do you think you'll want to continue living in the city?"

Both Hermione and Draco were confused about the direction Narcissa was taking the conversation.

"We've barely lived here a month," Draco smiled lightly. I think we'll be here a while yet."

"Oh, of course," Narcissa agreed. "But you won't want to be here forever. The place is beautiful, but there's only room for two. And children grow up happier in the country, don't you think?"

Narcissa sipped her tea serenely, the cup hiding her mischievous grin, as Draco paled and Hermione choked on her own tea.

"Erm... only twenty...not quite ready..." Hermione sputtered, as Draco remained silent, "...haven't really thought...oh, thank god!" She ejaculated as her phone rang, saving her from the awkward conversation. Hermione excused herself and took her phone into the kitchen.

Narcissa smiled serenely at her son, who stared coldly back.

"What the hell was that?" Draco asked quietly, so that their voices wouldn't carry to the kitchen.

"What?" Narcissa asked innocently, with a gleam in her eye.

"What has gotten into you? This is something I would expect Aunt Andromeda to say, not you."

Narcissa smiled, a real smile this time, "yes, she did say something similar when she described the place to me. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, but I've seen the way you look at her - and how she looks at you - you can't tell me you haven't thought about where this is going? You bought a place together!"

Draco sighed, "We're barely out of Hogwarts; Hermione just turned twenty, I'm nineteen-!"

"-The same age I was when I married your father," Narcissa interrupted him quietly.

"But that was arranged," Draco reminded her. "And father was older."

"Yes, it was arranged, but that doesn't mean I don't love him. I didn't when we were betrothed - there was attraction, but no love. Love came after - it took about a year after our marriage, but eventually we used to look at each other, the way you two do. He's a good man at heart - Don't look at me like that, Draco Lucius Malfoy-" Narcissa chastised as Draco gave her a disbelieving look, "-Your father made mistakes, some rather big ones, but they were mistakes. He made wrong choices, and he couldn't turn back, but he never raised his wand to us, nor his hand. He loved us - he just couldn't show it. But that is not what we were talking about. I'm not telling you to rush into anything - Merlin knows you've both had to grow up so fast. Enjoy being young, but don't take too long either. We don't need to have this conversation now, but I will say this: You're my only child, I never thought anyone would be good enough for you, but I don't thin you will find better match - Hermione has been good for you. In short, I approve, and when you are ready, it's yours."

"What is?" Draco asked warily.

Narcissa simply smiled, "you know."

Draco thought he knew too, but he wasn't sure if he could voice it. The conversation had taken a surprising turn, and Draco wasn't sure what to do now that an unspeakable topic had been broached. Luckily, he was spared the necessity if speaking by a sudden outburst of Hermione's.

"I don't understand what it's doing! - I don't understand what _I'm_ doing!"

Draco and Narcissa turned to watch Hermione, now sat up at the island bench, tapping away at something on the counter top while still talking on her phone.

"Stop laughing at me, it's stressing me out - you know what? Forget it, it will be simpler to just drop in-" she was quiet a moment as the person on the other end responded.

Hermione's face dropped, and she chewed her lip, "erm, yes I live in London now. When I said I was 'at home' I meant my parents - still getting used to it, we'll see you within the hour."

"Everything all right?" Draco asked when Hermione set down her phone.

Hermione smiled, "fine - just some details about the charity event at the bar. I don't know how Matt was trying to communicate, and I can not work this damn tablet"

Draco frowned, "Tablet? Isn't that what Muggles use to cure headaches?"

Hermione laughed, "six months ago I would have said something similar. It's amazing: eight years in the magical world and I'm almost completely out of touch with the Muggle one."

"You said: 'we'll see you within the hour'?" Draco quizzed, and Hermione gave a guilty smile.

"How do you fancy an impromptu trip to York?"

Thirty minutes later, Hermione, Draco and Narcissa were walking through the streets of York, and into the cocktail bar. Draco gave his mother a tour of the place while Hermione went over the extra, and unique, orders for the Halloween event.

Four weeks later, Hermione's first charity event kicked off with great success. The place had been decorated sparingly for Halloween: smoke machines had been discreetly placed around the rooms to create a continual, low lying mist, which gave the dance floor in particular a rather eerie ambiance. The lighting was dimmed to give the impression of perpetual twilight, and cobwebs and jack-o-lanterns decorated the bar and tables in a stereotypical fashion.

Hermione had taken the afternoon off work to help pull the final vision together, she had been working non-stop all afternoon until Matt finally made her sit down an eat something, before she went to get changed in the office. The place was to open at seven, and twenty minutes before, Hermione re-emerged from the office wearing a floor length ruby gown, with a split running down from mid-thigh, seductively exposing her left leg. The dress was figure hugging, but not tight; it clung in all the right places, and seemed to flow with her body as if it was part of her, not just simply on her. Her hair was loosely pinned back, a few loose tendrils spiralling around her face, and she carried an ornate golden hand-held mask, with red and gold plumage exploding from one corner.

"Wow," Matt commended appreciatively as Hermione came over to the bar. "Looking good - Draco is one lucky guy."

"Thank you," Hermione smiled, taking a seat. "Speaking of Draco, he should be here soon."

"Drink while you wait? I don't think you've tried tonight's themed cocktails, have you?"

"Not yet," Hermione grinned. She had discussed the new cocktails with him, but had yet to sample the finished products, "I'll sample an 'O-Neg' I think."

"Giving in to your inner vamp?" Matt joked as he made the concoction. Draco arrived as Hermione was taking her first sip of the blood-red drink, which was a little thicker than the average spirit and mixer combination.

"You look like you're drinking blood," Draco said, in lieu of a greeting. He was wearing an old-fashioned dinner-suit, reminiscent of the late nineteenth century, and carrying a half-mask.

Hermione turned in her seat and smiled, "O-Neg. Want a taste?"

Draco gave her a wary look, "sounds like blood too. Should I be worried?"

"Themed cocktails," Matt explained. "Can I interest you in some ectoplasm?"

The first part of the night was exclusive to ticket holders only, and was to run until nine; there was to be a sit down meal, consisting of three light courses, with the complimentary cocktails that Matt had specially created for tonight only, all with sufficiently themed names. The raised, VIP section had been given over to a set of silent auction tables, the prizes generously donated by some big businesses, which could use this opportunity to self-advertise. Hermione had also organised a bachelor auction, which would take place later in the evening, around ten, after the doors were opened to the rest of the general public. Fancy dress was not a necessity, the only condition of entry was that a mask was to be worn - simple masks were available on the door for those without their own. The first part of the evening was a great success, made up of the regular attendees of any Roseby-Granger event, and a few new, younger faces who were regular patriots of the bar.

By nine there was already a healthy cue outside the doors; with the dining part the evening over, the extra tables set up on the dance floor were removed, and the music was turned up, turning the bar into a club. The silent auction was completed and the VIP section returned to its intended purpose; Hermione was sat at a table, slowly sipping at another cocktail while filling out the details of the highest bidders when Draco came back from the bar with Harry and Ron in tow.

"Excellent," Hermione greeted them. "You are just in time: the bachelor auction will be starting soon."

"Yeah, I don't reckon we'll be bidding, to be honest," Harry said carefully.

"Of course you won't be bidding," Hermione smiled sweetly. "You're being auctioned."

"Come again?" Ron said, while Harry simply stared.

"Oh please," Hermione begged. "I've had a couple of guys drop out, and I know you'll bring in some good money - we saved the world after all."

"The _Wizarding _world, Hermione," Harry said patiently. "We don't mean anything to a room full of Muggles."

"Actually, there are quite a few witches here - I was surprised too, but I've done a round of the club, and I think it's pretty even between Muggle and Magical numbers. Oh come on - you get a free dinner out of it."

It took a few more minutes of coaxing, but finally Hermione got Harry and Ron on board. After gathering the other three bachelors, the music was quieted and Hermione proceeded to start the auction. By starting the auction an hour after the doors had been opened up, the bidders had consumed enough alcohol to lower their inhibitions and self-restraints and so the offers were coming in thick and fast. Harry and Ron were the most sought after bachelors, bringing in a little more money than the others, and sparking a couple of bidding wars. Whether Muggles or witches won them, Hermione didn't know - she was just happy she had raised a decent amount of cash.

When the bachelors had been claimed and Hermione had deposited the takings in the office safe, Draco dragged her off to the dance floor.

"You've been working all evening; it's time you started to enjoy the success," Draco told Hermione as she looked ready to protest.

"You think it has been? A success, I mean?"

"A huge success, yes," Draco smiled down at her. "Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?"

Hermione giggled, "a couple of times, but you can tell me again - I don't mind."

"You very much look the part of Gryffindor's princess. You look amazing - I'm pretty sure every man in this room is envious of me," Draco grinned, and Hermione blushed - she still couldn't get use to how beautiful Draco thought she was.

"You look very dashing yourself," she told him. "The Phantom look suits you, I've noticed a few women checking you out - as long as they don't try anything, they're free to look."

Draco laughed and then leaned down to steal a quick kiss.

"Have you had a fun night?" Hermione asked after they broke apart, and Draco nodded. "Good, because you'll be hosting the next one."

Draco raised his eyebrows, "the next one?"

Hermione grinned, "we need to help raise funds for some Magical charities - but we'll talk about it later. Right now I just want to enjoy the moment."

Normality returned with full force the next day, for both Hermione and Draco. Draco had a series of mundane clients, all buying properties in Muggle suburbs around the country.

Hermione's workload was starting to pick up its pace; since the escapade with the dragon, Hermione had been on more and more call-outs, and had quickly worked her way up to one of the most promising new hunters on the team. For every case that was put on Robert's desk, Hermione was now always part of the team he put together to investigate - sometimes with only one other person, sometimes with four or five, depending on the job. Today, however, was he first solo task.

"An Augurey reserve has reported a couple of its birds have gone missing," Robert said after dropping a file on Hermione's desk. "It's a big place, no doubt the old fool miscounted, or it's just flown off, but we have to follow procedure. Do you think you can take care of this on your own?"

"Of course," Hermione said, hiding her surprise. She picked up the file and gave it the once over, before going to change into her hunting gear and leaving the Ministry.

Robert hadn't been lying, the reserve was rather large, but the man who had filed the missing report was neither old nor, in Hermione's opinion, a fool. Hermione spent a total of two hours, during which time she received a more detailed account of the missing creatures.

"And you think they've been stolen?" Hermione quizzed, picking up the accusatory tone immediately. "You're positive the haven't simply flown off?"

"I'm more than positive. Here-" he handed Hermione an oversized leather bound ledger, "-this documents the daily movements of every single bird we have on the reserve. If you read it, you'll see that they never fly far from their nests; they will sometimes fly from bush to bush - I've seen a few change their nest every month or so - but it's never further than an hundred yards. And besides, they only fly in the rain - it hasn't rained here in five days."

"And when did you notice the birds were missing?" Hermione asked, scanning the ledger as she spoke - he certainly hadn't exaggerated; the notes were minutely detailed.

"Two days ago: we feed them fairies every three days - the rest of the time they fend for themselves. We fed them after the rain on Friday, and all the nests were full; every bird accounted for. Then on Monday, two nests were empty."

"I'd like to take a look at the nests if you don't mind?" Hermione said, closing the ledger; she had no reason to doubt the theory of theft - though who would want to steal Augureys, Hermione didn't know.

She was taken directly to the nests, and then from there led around the perimeter of the reserve. Security measures were practically non-existent - there wasn't even a Muggle-repellent charm in place; the only source of protection was a wire fence of shoulder height, running the entire perimeter. An hour into the walk around, they found the source of entry to the thief - Hermione now positive that a theft had definitely occurred. Part of the fence had been cut and pulled apart, allowing enough room for an adult to squeeze through; a couple of Augurey feathers were found around the opening.

Hermione assured the man that the Ministry would do everything they could to find the birds, but chances of success were slim: there were no traces of magic that Hermione could find, whoever had broken in had been careful not to leave a trace and had done everything in a Muggle fashion. After taking down everything she might need, and fixing the fence, Hermione advised the man to increase his security charms before returning to the Ministry to write up her report.

As they moved further into November, the weather became colder; a constant cover of grey clouds that continually threatened rain replaced the autumn sunshine. Hermione usually managed to miss most of the rain, but tonight she had taken a detour on her way home from the Ministry. She had dropped into the Harley Street clinic to finalise arrangements for the induction training of the new Nottingham staff - her parents had now hired everyone they would need, and all that remained to do was induct them into the procedures of the Roseby-Granger Clinics, ready to open Nottingham in January.

By the time Hermione made it home that night, she was soaked to the bone. "I hate this weather," she moaned as she walked through the door. She dropped her things in the office and made her way into the kitchen where Draco was waiting, with dinner already cooking.

"I _really_ hate this weather," she repeated, before looking at him suspiciously. "Did you cook? Or have you had some special help?"

Draco gave her a guilty grin as he handed her a glass of wine, "both. Mitzy's teaching me to cook. But don't worry about that - I have a surprise."

"What kind of surprise?" Hermione asked, turning to go sit down at the table. She stopped, "there's a piano in our living room."

"Okay, I have two surprises,"

"How did you get a piano up here?"

Draco shrugged, "Blaise helped; we bewitched it to make it feather light and carried it up - but we did it with enough theatrics to convince anyone who might have seen that it was on the heavy side," he added quickly, seeing Hermione's less than impressed look. "But anyway, again, don't worry about that; that's not what I want to tell you. Do you think you can take next week off work?"

Hermione shrugged, "probably. Why?" This week had been fairly quiet; since it was only Wednesday, Hermione was sure it was enough notice, unless something major happened.

"Good, because we're going to Italy."

* * *

**_A/N: I'm managing to get into a routine of updating this and Winter's Wrath alternatively. I'm currently working on the next chapters for both fics, so I will hopefully be able to update both stories within a couple of days of each other, after the weekend._**

**_Thanks again for reading :)_**

**_xBx_**


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